Acquiring Matt Chapman Checks Several Boxes For Blue Jays
Making a giant splash Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays completed a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Athletics involving star third baseman Matt Chapman, filling a massive hole at the hot corner.
Understandably, making this kind of move didn’t come cheap as the Blue Jays sent a package of four prospects in return – including pitchers Gunnar Hoglund, Kirby Snead, Zach Logue and infielder Kevin Smith.
There’s no question, all four of these players will be missed, particularly Hoglund, who was selected 19th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Still, with a player of Chapman’s calibre joining this roster, it was a fairly easy decision to make for Toronto.
At 28, the 2019 American League All-Star is walking into an extremely talented position player group, headlined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Thankfully, the 6’0” infielder will be sticking around for at least a couple of seasons as he’s under team control through 2023.
Prior to this trade, general manager Ross Atkins admitted one of his biggest goals of the off-season was to improve the Blue Jays’ run prevention. By acquiring Chapman, that’s precisely what he’s accomplished.
Heading into the 2022 season, an argument could be made about who’s currently the best defensive third baseman in the majors. While some may lean towards Nolan Arenado or Manny Machado, Toronto now possesses an elite defender of its own at third base.
Across his five major league seasons, Chapman boasts three Gold Glove Awards and a pair of Platinum ones in his trophy case. He’s also a two-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year winner (‘18, ‘19) at third base.
Sure, defensive awards are one thing, but it’s even more impressive to back these accolades up with eye-popping statistics, of which Chapman has plenty to support his case.
Since 2017, no other third baseman in the majors has posted more DRS (+78), a higher UZR (47.3) or defensive WAR (55.8) than the former Athletic, according to FanGraphs.com.
Adding to his stellar resume, the Victorville, California, native has registered the second-highest OAA (+48) among all qualified third basemen in the majors during that same timeframe. Only Arenado has recorded a higher OAA (+59) since then.
Despite undergoing season-ending hip surgery in ‘20, Chapman came back stronger than ever last year and enjoyed another dominating defensive performance. During which, he captured his third career Gold Glove Award.
Proving to be one of the most effective defenders in the sport, the right-hander not only led all third basemen in OAA (+17) but also finished fourth-highest in that regard among all positions in the majors, according to BaseballSavant.com.
Suffice to say, Chapman figures to greatly improve Toronto’s defense this season, especially on the left side of the infield. Perhaps the one area he figures to make the largest impact will be with his remarkable range.
Very few current infielders are capable of covering as much ground as Chapman. Though he’s proven impactful in all directions, the California State standout has been particularly noticeable while ranging to his left.
In total, 15 of his career 48 OAA have been recorded when travelling to the left of third base, mostly in the direction of second base. Regardless of whether batted balls have featured an exit velocity of 100 m.p.h. or higher, he’s usually still found a way to complete outs.
For someone like Bichette, who struggles while ranging to his right, chances are he won’t be forced to cover as much ground in that direction moving forward. With Chapman at his side, he can comfortably rely on his newest teammate to cut across the diamond to assist with those in-between plays.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case for Toronto’s shortstop, who hasn’t received much support at third base in previous seasons.
Whether it’s been Cavan Biggio, Joe Panik, Santiago Espinal or any other members of Toronto’s revolving door of bodies at third, Bichette has largely encountered unproven defenders at the hot corner during his time in the majors. But now, he’ll be paired next to one of the top defenders in baseball, which provides quite the opportunity.
Along with his elite defense, Chapman’s arrival should also be a boon for his fellow infielders. Vladdy can likely sleep a little easier knowing he has an award-winning third baseman on his team.
Of course, the biggest factor of the trade is Chapman’s elite defense, however, he also features a considerable amount of offensive upside, as well.
Joining a Blue Jays’ line-up that led the majors in home runs (262) a season ago, the right-handed infielder should complement this offense, as he’s hit at least 20 round-trippers in three of his previous four campaigns. He also owns the sixth-most home runs (97) among all third basemen since ‘18.
After spending his entire major league career in the pitcher-friendly AL West Division, there’s a strong chance Chapman’s power will translate very well to the AL East. There, he can spend the majority of his time playing in hitter-friendly ballparks for a change.
Granted, his strikeout totals have gradually increased each season, climbing to a 32.5 per-cent clip in ‘21. Having said that, if Toronto’s coaching staff can help level out his swing, he should begin to generate more line drives rather than completely selling out for fly balls.
In that regard, Chapman could return to the solid overall hitter that he was earlier in his career instead of the boom-or-bust player he’s recently become. If that happens, he might be able to once again serve as a 6.0-plus WAR contributor opposed to his 3.4 fWAR rating from last season.
Based on his defense alone, the trade has increased Toronto’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs in ‘22. It also helps that MLB’s postseason format has been extended from 10 to 12 teams.
Nevertheless, the last time this franchise acquired an all-star third baseman (Josh Donaldson) from Oakland, things worked out fairly well as the “Bringer of Rain” helped lead this club to consecutive playoff appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Will this be another example of history repeating itself? Perhaps, although hopefully another pair of ALCS exits aren’t in the organization’s future just as they were during their previous competitive window.
Whatever the 2022 season holds for Toronto, the sky appears to be the limit for this current group that now includes one of the game’s most valuable third basemen.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85