Toronto Blue Jays: Ranking the 3 biggest offseason moves
By Kevin Henry
Trading for Matt Chapman was a bold move by the Toronto Blue Jays
By bringing over All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman from the Oakland A’s in a trade, the Blue Jays solidified an area of need and added yet more power to an already stellar batting order.
His career OPS+ of 120 shows the kind of damage he can bring at the plate, and three Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves show what he can do in the field. Outside of his former high school teammate Nolan Arenado, there are few third basemen currently in the game who can make a difference on the defensive side the way that Chapman can.
One thing for Blue Jays fans to watch is if Chapman can rebound from what have been diminishing overall offensive numbers over the last four seasons (dropping from a .278/.356/.508 slash line in 2018 to a dismal .210/.314/.403 last season). Also, he has struck out in 26.6 percent of his plate appearances over the last four campaigns, including 32.4 percent last season (with 202 strikeouts on his record).
Still, there are plenty more positives than negatives with the acquisition of Chapman for the Blue Jays. If he can provide a high caliber of defense and return to some better numbers at the plate (as he had before the 2020 campaign that ended with him undergoing season-ending hip surgery), Chapman could represent a big missing piece to the postseason puzzle in Toronto.