Oakland A’s: Three Possible Landing Spots for Matt Chapman
As successful as they have been at reaching the postseason the past decade, the Oakland A’s constantly find themselves in sticky situations. The A’s develop young talent, watch them progress into All-Stars, and then refuse to pay them and let them walk in free agency, or deal them for prospects to revamp their farm system.
Oakland traded Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to his 2015 MVP season. They received Brett Lawrie and a haul of prospects, none who became anything special.
Just this week, they let shortstop Marcus Semien leave in free agency. Semien signed a one-year, $18 million contract, coincidentally, with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Matt Chapman and the Oakland A’s are at a crossroads and he could be their next big star on the move.
The next big question on the table for the Oakland A’s is Matt Chapman. Chapman, who will be 28 in April, is under team control for three more seasons and one of the best third baseman in the majors, ranked fifth by Buster Olney in the latest ESPN position rankings.
He has won two Gold Glove Awards, was an All-Star in 2019, and finish in the top seven in 2018 and 2019 in the AL MVP voting. Chapman has an insane glove and has the potential to hit for real power. Through four seasons, his OPS. is .839.
Chapman is not going to be in Oakland for the rest of his career. They simply cannot afford him when he inevitably hits free agency. The Oakland A’s should trade Chapman now because he will have higher value with three seasons of team control left.
Here are three teams that Matt Chapman could be traded to this offseason.
Oakland A’s: Matt Chapman a fit with Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves were on the lookout for a big bat and they are still talking about re-signing slugger Marcell Ozuna. Even if they bring Ozuna back, they might make a trade for another talented hitter.
The Atlanta Braves have been rumored to trade for an All-Star third baseman all offseason. The main targets were Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado, before Arenado got sent to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now with Arenado off the market and Chapman on the trade block, Oakland and Atlanta could be legitimate trade partners. Chapman would be a great fit for Atlanta and help bring them over the edge and help them with a National League pennant, or even a World Series title.
Atlanta could give up prospects, since the Oakland A’s are in dire need to improve their farm system. In MLB’s latest ranking, they did not have one prospect in the top 100 list. In a trade with the Braves, they would get Austin Riley, who is still young, has high potential, but had an underwhelming year. In addition to Riley, they would get a bunch of prospects.
The Braves would rather trade for Chapman, who has plenty of time left on his deal, because he is the less expensive route than trading for someone they would have to re-sign.
Oakland A’s: Matt Chapman as Justin Turner replacement?
The Los Angeles Dodgers just won a World Series title but that should not stop them from improving their roster. They lost outfielder Joc Pederson and utilityman Kike Hernandez in free agency and have yet to re-sign their long-term third baseman Justin Turner, who is a free agent.
The Dodgers have a few internal options when it comes to third base, which include Edwin Rios, Chris Taylor, Matt Beaty, or even Max Muncy.
However, if they want to repeat as champions and continue to dominate the National leaguer like they have for the past eight seasons, they need to trade for Matt Chapman.
Chapman would be a great addition to the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup and would improve their defense greatly. The Dodgers have prospects or players that they would be willing to part ways with to acquire Chapman.
Chapman would be dominant in Los Angeles for the next three seasons and would complement Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger well.
If Turner leaves in free agency, the Dodgers need to look externally if they really want to have a competitive lineup. If they do not trade for Chapman or another All-Star third baseman, they would have a huge hole at the hot corner.
Oakland A’s: Washington Nationals have Anthony Rendon-sized hole
Ever since Anthony Rendon left the Washington Nationals for the Los Angeles Angels in free agency prior to the 2020 season, Nationals have been looking for somebody to fill the hot corner.
Carter Kieboom is set to be their third baseman to start the season, but he has been disappointing in his 44 games since his debut in 2019, batting .181. He has the potential to be a quality everyday player, but Kieboom might not be the long-term answer for Washington at third base. The Nationals should trade for Matt Chapman and add another All-Star to their lineup. They already have superstar Juan Soto and veteran All-Star Starlin Castro. All-Star first baseman Josh Bell was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this offseason. Trading for Chapman would make this lineup fairly lethal.
Of course, his glove would make their defense much better, but his bat would make their lineup a lot better than it was last season. Rendon left a big hole in their lineup and trading for Chapman would help fill that hole and improve the depth of their roster.
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Matt Chapman is beyond a quality player and could easily be on the move very soon. The Oakland A’s might look to cash in and trade the All-Star while he is in the midst of his potential.