Toronto Blue Jays: Why the Matt Chapman contract is a smart deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have put together an offseason that will likely have them competing for the American League East title in 2022. The franchise has made plenty of smart moves heading into the season, and kept that trend going by handing new acquisition Matt Chapman a two-year, $25 million deal on Tuesday.

By being proactive with Matt Chapman, the Toronto Blue Jays have lessened the chance for drama while showing him its priorities.

Recently acquired in a trade with the Oakland A’s, the 28-year-old Chapman wasn’t due to become a free agent until after the 2023 campaign. However, the Toronto Blue Jays took out the need for any kind of arbitration hearings over the next two seasons by inking him to a $25 million deal that will carry over the next two campaigns. Chapman will be paid $12 million per season and receive a $1 million signing bonus as well.

While the Blue Jays didn’t gain any additional service time by signing Chapman to the deal (they would have had him under team control anyway through the same time period), they showed him that they were invested in him as a part of a core that looks ready to compete for the division title and more in 2022.

Chapman was reportedly in line for $9.5 million in arbitration this season, so he will get a pay raise with the new deal. Looking ahead, that means Chapman’s 2023 arbitration numbers could have been around $14.5 million, meaning the Blue Jays were proactive by locking in a price now while paying roughly the same amount they might have down the road. Knowing the exact amount Chapman will get takes pressure off both sides as the Blue Jays look to see what other pieces can be added at the trade deadline or during next offseason.

This is also a longer-term game perhaps for the Blue Jays as well. By committing money to a player just acquired instead of potentially going into arbitration with him year after year, the franchise is likely looking to build some goodwill as well, hoping to have Chapman in Toronto for more than just two years.

Coming off a season where Chapman hit 27 home runs, the Blue Jays are hoping he will give them a power bat that slides into the middle of a lineup that is already power-heavy (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Bo Bichette, and plenty of other options from a team that ranked first in the American League last season with 262 homers). They are also hoping that, with a contract in hand, Chapman can focus on the field and little else over the next two seasons (and perhaps beyond) in a Toronto uniform.