The Blue Jays Are About to Trade for Matt Chapman (UPDATE)

Hey good morning, right back at it! Let’s get things moving today, eh? And let’s also totally forget any disappointment that happened late last night.

The Blue Jays are really pushing their team to the limits this year, and they are going to be so good:

The #BlueJays are finalizing a trade for 2-time Platinum Glove-winning 3B Matt Chapman, source confirms. Carlos Baerga was the first to report. @MLBNetwork @FAN590 @Sportsnet

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 16, 2022

Matt Chapman, 28, has taken some significant steps back with the bat the last couple years, though there’s bounce-back potential there, and the glove is likely still the best in the game at third (and one of the most impactful overall).

We knew Chapman was going to be dealt eventually, by the way, and that was probably having some downstream effects on the market for a variety of free agents. If the Blue Jays (and any other teams) were prioritizing Chapman, this could be yet another move that shakes some other things loose.

One thing to wonder: if this parks Chapman at third, will the Blue Jays keep going for Freddie Freeman (with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. solely being a DH)? It has already felt for nearly a week like Freeman was going to the Dodgers, but boy, they sure are waiting him out …

UPDATE: And here’s the return, for what now appears to be a done deal.

Matt Chapman has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, sources confirm to ESPN. Deal is done. A's with another big group of prospects. RHP Gunnar Hoglund best of the bunch. SS Kevin Smith, left-handed starter Zach Logue and left-handed reliever Kirby Snead all major league-ready.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 16, 2022