The hot stove is heating up with the general manager meetings underway in Scottsdale, Ariz. This year’s event began on Tuesday, as the league’s top baseball executives have been confined to one area to discuss the game at large, meet with free agents and their representatives, and discuss potential trades.
One of the hottest names on the market is former Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman. The 30-year-old is a four-time Gold Glove named an All-Star in 2019. Chapman slashed .240/.330/.424 this past season with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs. He also owned an OPS of .755.
According to MLB Network Insider, the New York Yankees are a team worth watching for Chapman. So perhaps the multiple-time gold glove winner, who received a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays, could stay in the American League East.
"(Matt) Chapman is the best pure infielder who is available."@jonmorosi has the latest speculation on the 4-time Gold Glove winner's free agency market after Toronto extended a qualifying offer on Monday. pic.twitter.com/pzWHryQImh
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 8, 2023
“And one team I’m watching very carefully on Chapman — the New York Yankees,” said Morosi during an appearance on MLB Network Wednesday. “Third base for them has been a bit of a revolving door the last year-plus. [Josh] Donaldson was in and out, [DJ] LeMahieu played some third base; he had a bit of a down offensive year. Chapman is someone who posts. And, the Yankees need someone at that position who posts.
“That being said…he did not have a great offensive year after the middle of May, and so when you consider Toronto, obviously, a pretty good place to hit, would Yankee Stadium be better or the same? A lot of questions there if he ends up going for a shorter-term deal to re-establish that offensive side of his value, but we know this: the defensive component and the posting everyday component [is] very similar to what everybody loved about [Texas Rangers] infielder Marcus Semien when he was a free agent a year ago.”
We obviously saw how that turned out for the Rangers and Semien this year, culminating in the first World Series championship in franchise history.
Morosi said that there are several teams who will be interested in Chapman, but the Yankees are certainly a pairing worth watching for the best infielder on the market. It remains to be seen where Chapman ultimately ends up, but there’s a decent chance it could be in the Bronx.
