Matt Chapman

It's Thursday, Athletics Nation! It has been only a week since the MLB lockout ended, but for A's fans the news has seemingly been non-stop.

Toronto is a place that could help him get that back.— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) https://t.co/kuv4OGPtel March 16, 2022 And he could probably be a GG SS if he moved there too.— Melissa Lockard (@melissalockard) March 16, 2022 Not that it’s much consolation, but one thing the A’s have done well is send players to places that are a great fit. Incredible defenders all, but Chapman, to me, was the best of them. Let me get this straight. I hope they can get that because I think this is a great org that deserves to have that same opportunity as other teams." But it’s something they’ve gotten used to and it’s just kind of the filter of guys around here sometimes.” But as we have seen in this cycle a few times now, it won’t be long before we have new A’s favourites in our hearts. “It’s hard not to go back to the Donaldson trade because the return is so similar... While we are saying goodbye to a lot of our favourites, it does also mean we get to say hello to a number of new and future A’s. The return for Chapman from the Jays is varied: LHPs Zach Logue and Kirby Snead, infielder Kevin Smith, and 2021 1st-round draft pick Gunnar Hoglund. Matt Chapman: "I think it’s still ... a possibility in Oakland, that they can get a new stadium and fill it with guys that can stay here for the long term. It has been only a week since the MLB lockout ended, but for A’s fans the news has seemingly been non-stop.

That package included Gunnar Hoglund who was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the Jays system and three other prospects including Kevin Smith, formerly ...

However, the Jays already have a solid first baseman in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy came up through the Jays system as a third baseman but made the switch to first base seamlessly. If the Jays had signed Freeman, Vladdy would’ve either played third base or served as the primary DH while splitting time with Freeman at first. Freeman would’ve been nice, as he is a left-handed bat and a proven winner after taking home the World Series with the Braves, but I think Chapman will make a very big impact while making a lot less money. The Jays lineup is already loaded so they don’t necessarily need him to be the 130 WRC+ hitter he was a couple of seasons ago, he just has to be average. He’s established himself as one of, if not the best third baseman defensively in the game. The Toronto Blue Jays acquired Matt Chapman from the Athletics in exchange for a pretty large prospect package.

Who will be the next man up? A future superstar probably isn't on this list, but somebody has to play third base in 2022, and there are some current candidates ...

And is that player already in the organization, or are they still yet to be acquired? This will be his third season on the team, and so far he’s been limited to duty as the emergency utilityman who stashes in Triple-A and rides the taxi up and down when needed. In fact, when Chapman got hurt in 2020 and they needed a replacement for the playoffs, it was Pinder who got the nod in October and responded by becoming a legend for a week. But as things stand, the A’s have Tony Kemp to play 2B, and Elvis Andrus is tentatively expected back in time to cover SS with top prospect Nick Allen hot on his heels, so the most obvious path to playing time for Smith could be 3B. You can click here to read Smith’s full scouting report, but the short version is that he’s a solid or better defender at any infield position with a particularly good arm. A future superstar probably isn’t on this list, but somebody has to play third base in 2022, and there are some current candidates who might do a good job with it.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said the Blue Jays were excited when news of the trade broke in their clubhouse at the team's spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla.

"I can't imagine trying harder in terms of aggressiveness," said Atkins, who gestured toward the bags under his eyes. On Wednesday he said that the Blue Jays, who had been rumoured to be pursuing free agents like Canadian first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Carlos Correa, may not be done yet. "When that trade happened, everybody was happy," said Espinal, gesturing around the Blue Jays' expansive clubhouse. "I think Matt will come in extremely open-minded and excited about this. "I'm also happy for the kids that got traded. Shortstop Kevin Smith, right-handed pitcher Gunnar Hoglund, left-handed starter Zach Logue and left-handed reliever Kirby Snead were sent to Oakland in exchange for the all-star third baseman.

When the Toronto Blue traded for Matt Chapman on Monday, they acquired one of the great defensive players in the game. Nick Ashbourne looks at how the ...

Even identifying a couple of the things Chapman does with the glove feels like short-changing him to some degree, because the reality is that he stands out in just about every area. That play has so many moving parts to fit together in such a short time — and he makes it look elementary. Chapman is exceedingly ambitious and unafraid to stray far from his home at third base if he feels there’s a play to be made. While Ryu and Kikuchi stand to benefit the most from Chapman’s presence, they won’t be the only ones. Although Chapman’s bat comes with a degree of uncertainty, his ability to turn batted balls into outs is beyond reproach. Looking at Chapman’s directional Outs Above Average it’s clear that he excels covering ground towards the shortstop side.

In return for Chapman, the A's receive four prospects from the Jays: RHP Gunnar Hoglund, SS Kevin Smith, LHP Zach Logue, and LHP Kirby Snead. Hoglund is the ...

He still doesn’t throw hard, in the low-90s, but he adds some deception and several competent secondaries including a slider, change, and now the cutter. Prospects are difficult to predict so maybe some of these will be the ones who pan out as contributors, but it sure seems underwhelming at this time. That performance earned him seven games in the majors, where he used four pitches — a slider that got primary billing, two 93 mph fastballs (sinker and four-seamer) that each topped out around 94-95, and a changeup. Smith ranked No. 9 in the Jays system per Pipeline and No. 7 per BA. He’s a good defender with a plus arm who’s expected to be able to handle any of shortstop, second base, or third base, but there are questions about his inconsistent bat. He hit well in the lower-minors in 2018 but then stalled for a couple years, before bouncing back strong last summer in Triple-A and earning a brief MLB debut. This is the A’s third major trade in the past five days, as they embark on a rebuilding process.