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Matt Chapman Is Mashing His Way To A Massive Payday

By Steve Adams | May 11, 2023 at 9:39pm CDT

From 2018-19, the short list of baseball’s best all-around players would’ve unequivocally included then-Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman. The 2014 No. 25 overall pick graduated from top prospect status to everyday big league third baseman in the second half of the 2017 season, and by 2018 he’d thrust himself into the fringes of the American League MVP conversation. Chapman finished sixth in AL MVP voting in 2018 and seventh in an All-Star 2019 season. He batted a combined .263/.348/.507 with 60 home runs between those two seasons, winning Gold Gloves at third base each year. Chapman ranked eighth among all position players with 12 Wins Above Replacement from 2018-19, per FanGraphs.

The A’s had a star third baseman on their hands and were seeing a young core that included Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt and Ramon Laureano blossom into the foundation of a perennial contender. That group never advanced beyond the ALDS but did respectively win 97, 97, 34 and 86 games in 2018-21 before the front office tore things down in the 2021-22 offseason as Athletics ownership embarked on a Rachel Phelps-esque plan to push the team out of Oakland.

Part of the reason the A’s missed the postseason in that 86-win 2021 campaign was undoubtedly that Chapman had taken a step back in production following 2020 hip surgery. That’s not to pin the team’s playoff miss solely on the star third baseman, of course, but Chapman’s production dipped in 2020 as his strikeout rate soared to 35.5% while he played through tendinitis and a torn labrum in his hip. His 2021 campaign saw Chapman post a career-worst .210/.314/.403 batting line with a 32.5% strikeout rate — a far cry from the MVP-caliber output he flashed in 2018-19.

Though they were selling at a low point, Oakland still traded Chapman to the Blue Jays amid that 2021-22 offseason teardown, receiving top pitching prospect Gunnar Hoglund, infielder Kevin Smith, left-handed starter Zach Logue (whom they lost on waivers the following winter) and left-handed reliever Kirby Snead. Chapman’s first year in Toronto was solid but still nowhere close to his previous heights; he played top-shelf defense, as always, but his .229/.324/.433 batting line (117 wRC+) was good — not great. He swatted 27 home runs and succeeded in lowering his strikeout rate back beneath the 30% level, but it still sat at a well above-average 27.4%.

Chapman was a good player, to be sure, but from 2020-22 he hit .221/.314/.432. His plus power (64 homers, .211 ISO in 1395 plate appearances) and standout defense still made him a valuable, above-average regular at third base, but he no longer looked like the budding superstar he did during that 2018-19 peak — at least… not until 2023.

We’re just six weeks into the season, but Chapman has not only rebounded substantially from that 2020-22 downturn, he’s eclipsed even his peak levels of production thus far. Through his first 153 trips to the plate, Chapman is hitting .338/.425/.579 with five home runs. His 17 doubles are already more than he hit in the entire 2021 season. The strikeout rate that spiked north of 30% and sat at 27.4% a year ago is down to 25.5%, with reason to believe it could improve further.

Chapman’s 9.7% swinging-strike rate and 25.5% chase rate on pitches off the plate are both markedly better than the respective league averages of 10.9% and 31.4%. That doesn’t guarantee his strikeout rate will come down, but chasing bad pitches and whiffing less often than the league-average hitter should, in theory, eventually push his strikeout rate south of the league average.

Beyond the gains in strikeout rate and contact rate, Chapman is simply decimating the ball when he puts it into play. No one in baseball has a higher average exit velocity than Chapman’s 95.3 MPH mark, and his ludicrous 28.7% barrel rate is the best in MLB by an enormous margin of six percentage points. Aaron Judge is second at 22.7%, and there are only six total hitters in MLB at 20% or higher. An astonishing 67% of Chapman’s batted balls have left the bat at 95 mph or more.

Given the authority with which Chapman is hitting the ball, it’s actually a bit surprising he’s only connected on five home runs. His launch angle is right in line with his 2018-19 levels, and he’s hitting the ball in the air more often than he did in his previous peak years. After hitting a fly-ball in 41.3% of his plate appearances in 2018-19, Chapman is at 47.9% in 2023. A smaller percentage of those fly balls are of the infield variety (8.9% versus 15.9%), too. He’s curiously seen just 11.1% of his flies become home runs this year, compared to the 16.6% rate he enjoyed during his career with Oakland. That’s despite hitting the ball harder now and playing in a more homer-friendly venue; it stands to reason that Chapman’s home run output will be on the upswing sooner than later, provided he maintains this quality of contact.

Maintaining this pace, of course, will be difficult to do. Chapman’s clearly enjoying some good fortune right now, evidenced by a massive .449 average on balls in play. He’s already begun to see some regression, hitting .206/.308/.265 in 39 plate appearances since the calendar flipped to May. That dip in production is attributable not only to a drop in his BABIP, but more concerningly a spike in his strikeout rate. We’re looking at a small sample within a small sample, and the endpoints are admittedly arbitrary, but Chapman has fanned in exactly one-third of his plate appearances this month.

It was never reasonable to expect Chapman, a career .240/.329/.469 hitter entering the season, to sustain a batting average in the high-.300s, of course. But he’s regularly shown an ability to make high-quality contact in the past, so the big thing to keep an eye on with him as he approaches his first trip to free agency at season’s end was always going to be his contact rates.

If Chapman can avoid allowing his recent uptick in whiffs to snowball, then a return to peak levels or even the establishment of a new peak output is firmly in play. He’s still walking at an excellent 11.8% clip, after all, and his glovework at third base remains well-regarded. Statcast currently has him at one out below average but also tabs him in the 83rd percentile in terms of arm strength. He’s been credited with five Defensive Runs Saved already, and he’s sporting a 3.1 Ultimate Zone Rating. To date, Chapman has only made two errors this season.

His ability to sustain his elite contact and avoid reverting to his bloated strikeout rates over the next five months will be particularly telling. While Chapman once looked like he’d be the third-best free agent at his own position, the equation has changed substantially. Both Rafael Devers and Manny Machado signed long-term extensions to keep them in Boston and San Diego, respectively, leaving Chapman as the clear No. 1 third baseman on the market.

At this rate, however, Chapman won’t be just the clear top option at third base — he looks like he’ll be far and away the best position player on the market (excluding two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, who’s in a free-agent tier unto himself). The upcoming free-agent class is utterly devoid of impact bats. Teoscar Hernandez, a resurgent Cody Bellinger, a somewhat resurgent Joey Gallo, and Hunter Renfroe look like the top bats who’ll be available. There’s still some time for that to change — a torrid summer from Javier Baez or Josh Bell could alter the calculus, for instance — but right now the market for position players is decidedly bleak.

When we were first kicking around thoughts and ideas for the initial installment of our 2023-24 Free Agent Power Rankings, MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes floated the idea of Chapman surpassing a $200MM guarantee. That was on April 4. The number felt jarring and unrealistic, and he received plenty of pushback on the idea due to Chapman’s hip surgery, uptick in strikeouts and general downturn in production since 2020.

Just a few weeks later, that type of contract feels far, far more plausible. Chapman has been the best hitter in baseball for nearly a quarter of the season, and the market surrounding him will be among the thinnest in recent memory. Perhaps that’ll lead to an uptick in trade activity throughout the league, but for teams looking to pad their roster without depleting the farm system (and without spending half a billion dollars on Ohtani), Chapman currently looks like he’ll be the best bet. Add in his defensive prowess and the fact that he won’t turn 31 until late next April — plus last year’s spike in ultra-long, CBT-skirting contracts — and it increasingly looks like Chapman and agent Scott Boras will be in prime position to break the bank.

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MLBTR Originals Toronto Blue Jays Matt Chapman

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View Comments (114)

Comments

  1. #8

    3 weeks ago

    Matt Chapman has around a half a billion reasons to keep up with great production.

    Reply
    • LordD99

      3 weeks ago

      N?

      Just say no to the massive payday.

      Reply
      • #8

        3 weeks ago

        He’s already banged 17 doubles and is banging a .338 BA with a great walk rate as well. (unlike when tim ‘Michael X’ anderson ‘won’ the batting title with an incredibly bad walk rate and sitting out the last games of the season to ensure the batting title because tim ‘Michael X’ anderson is such a chump).

        Reply
        • ericm25

          3 weeks ago

          #8, mcneil did the same thing to win his mickey mouse batting title. he sat out last game so freeman could not have a chance to win batting title. I think freeman went 3 for 4 the last game. mcneil is a phony.

      • YourDreamGM

        3 weeks ago

        More like quarter billion. I can see a number that starts with a 2. Third absolute tops.

        Reply
        • bullred

          3 weeks ago

          Me too , with the Dark Lord as your agent your sure to get over $200M . Chapman is already at 2.4 bWAR in 25% of the season , so if he stays on the field, even if he declines a bit he should be in the 5 to 7 bWAR range. The Dark Lord can work with that!

      • Plugnplay

        3 weeks ago

        I agree LordD99,
        Definitely not a massive pay day, but some team will come close. He’s just to inconsistent for that massive pay, regardless of this year.

        Reply
    • Ignorant Son-of-a-b

      3 weeks ago

      Small sample size. His batting average (everyone’s favorite metric!) the last three seasons was .232, .210, and .229. Are we to believe he suddenly mastered the art of hitting & morphed into Vlad Guerrero Sr. at age 30 ??? Or is somebody getting lucky, punk? And pitchers will adjust, as they always do.

      Reply
      • RJNarvick

        3 weeks ago

        Juice – no shift. Both are helping him tremendously.

        Reply
    • Hippyripper

      3 weeks ago

      “The A’s had a star third baseman on their hands and were seeing a young core that included Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt and Ramon Laureano blossom into the foundation of a perennial contender. That group never advanced beyond the ALDS but did respectively win 97, 97, 34 and 86 games in 2018-21 before the front office tore things down in the 2021-22 offseason as Athletics ownership embarked on a Rachel Phelps-esque plan to push the team out of Oakland”

      What does this matter? Stan Kronke could have built a staudim in st louis like So Fi stadium, but then yall wouldn’t see Snoop Dogg sitting in his building when they won the super bowl on home turf so Brady (thank god) wouldn’t have been the only man to have done it?

      NFL consented to paying 800 million to make stuff go away and stl got the money?

      Who cares about Rachel Phelps, billionaires except for Jeffery Epstien get away with everything, and Jeff would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for that stupid dog and those meddling kids!

      Reply
      • bronxmac77

        3 weeks ago

        Easy there, brother. Breathe out…breathe in… harness the good, block the bad. All things circular.

        Reply
      • WestVillageTiger

        3 weeks ago

        Definitely need more help from stupid dogs and meddling kids to clean up clueless front offices and putrid rosters…

        Reply
  2. BaseballisLife

    3 weeks ago

    A .449 BAbip is not sustainable. Chapman is due for some major regression. A .230 BA with a high .700s OPS is where I think he will end the season.

    Reply
    • Seamus O'Meara

      3 weeks ago

      I agree. He has never been this type of hitter.

      Reply
      • avenger65

        3 weeks ago

        I don’t really understand the point of this article. I always thought he was good defensively but his BA in the mid- to low-.200’s isn’t all that great. A 3b man who could field and hit, especially for power, used to be hard to come by. When Mike Schmidt got into the Hof, he was the first 3b man to get in since Pie Traynor decades earlier. Now there’s some real good ones. I would take Chapman, Machado and Arenado on my team any day of the week.

        Reply
        • TheGreatBaseballMind

          3 weeks ago

          WOW! Is that true regarding Schmidt being the first third baseman to get into the Hall Of Fame since Pie Traynor? Pie Traynor was elected in 1948. Schmidt in 1995. Eddie Mathews? Brooks Robibson? I am guessing they were voted in before Schmidt.

        • TheGreatBaseballMind

          3 weeks ago

          Those two and only 6 more third basemen between Traynor and Schmidt. Eight in 47 years!

        • bronxmac77

          3 weeks ago

          I do believe Eddie Mathews got in before Schmidt.
          But your point is taken.

      • terrymesmer

        3 weeks ago

        Dude! You’re using my avatar! I drew that!

        Reply
        • Seamus O'Meara

          3 weeks ago

          Oh I’m sorry, man. I saw it and thought it was one of the coolest avatars I’d seen so I copied it. My apologies. I have removed it. Won’t happen again. I didn’t mean to steal your work.

        • Seamus O'Meara

          3 weeks ago

          Gone.

    • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

      3 weeks ago

      I still think Chapman has a 10 WAR season in him though, due to the defense and baserunning. I don’t think he can regress all the way back down to .700 OPS from where he is unless he slumps as hard as he’s been on fire, and that rarely happens in the same season. Is it even possible to drop from a .338 BA to .230 right now? Can someone do the math on that?

      Reply
      • #8

        3 weeks ago

        Steph, what about tim ‘Michael X’ anderson?? Your thoughts???

        Reply
      • Ted

        3 weeks ago

        The math says he’d have to hit .194 over the remaining 3/4 season left to end up at .230. Plausible, but only if he suddenly turns from a guy who hit 17 doubles in a month to the worst hitter he’s ever been in his career.

        Reply
        • #8

          3 weeks ago

          Ted, what about tim ‘Michael X’ anderson?? Your thoughts???

        • Ted

          3 weeks ago

          I have no idea what you’re asking everyone about Tim Anderson for.

        • bronxmac77

          3 weeks ago

          Neither do I. I suspect some huffing is involved.

        • #8

          3 weeks ago

          tim anderson no longer considers himself the modern day Jackie Robinson, now tim anderson considers himself to be the modern day Michael X.

        • bronxmac77

          3 weeks ago

          Um, so what?

        • #8

          3 weeks ago

          Your thoughts?? Discuss. Maybe next he will say he’s the modern day Martin King or the modern day Andrew Jackson.

        • bronxmac77

          3 weeks ago

          Um, who cares?

        • #8

          3 weeks ago

          Fine, I tried.

        • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

          3 weeks ago

          Only @#8 cares about this. Stop talking dude.

        • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

          3 weeks ago

          Dont “try” again. Please. I beg.

    • case

      3 weeks ago

      Sure, but performance enhancing drug use has always been common in a contract year and the union does a lot to shield players from repercussions. Always has to be in the back of your mind when a player suddenly turns the corner after a long downturn where they consistently looked overmatched by the more quality pitchers.

      Still, an albatross contract with a gold glover nets you amazing defense regardless of inconsistency at the plate.

      Reply
      • smuzqwpdmx

        3 weeks ago

        That’s a ridiculous theory for a player who was hampered by hip degeneration, surgery and recovery for those bad years.

        Reply
    • slimmycito

      3 weeks ago

      If you have watched him game in and game out he is absolutely locked in crushing the ball almost every time. Unsustainable over 162 but watching him I believe he will keep it up at at least an above average to elite rate. With his gold glove defence someone is going to pay him and he’ll probably dip back to his career averages after that. We’ve seen the contract year story time after time.

      Reply
      • case

        3 weeks ago

        I haven’t consistently watched him play for the Jays but I watched his slow decline as an A’s fan. It looked like the league figured him out and certain pitchers were just consistently annihilating him. Maybe the Jays pitching coaches had some new insight and helped him turn it all around, still a hell of risk to assume it will be the same over the next 8-12 years.

        Reply
        • bullred

          3 weeks ago

          I read he trained with Bo Bichette in the off season and Bo taught Matt some timing tips that have helped him so far this season. I hope Matt will teach Bo some throwing techniques in the near future. 🙂

    • smuzqwpdmx

      3 weeks ago

      If you hit balls in play harder than anyone in the league, as he has, then a .449 BABIP is completely sustainable. Not that I expect him to keep hitting the ball so hard, but his BABIP is not luck. He’s had twice as many 400 foot outs as anyone.

      Reply
      • KamKid

        3 weeks ago

        Was just thinking how crazy it is that his statcast expected stats say he is unlucky right now.

        Reply
  3. Baseball_dude

    3 weeks ago

    The funny part is that some foolish team will give him a huge contract because he had one solid year hitting for a high average at 30 years old. Teams need to stop over paying for mediocre hitters in their 30s

    Reply
    • YourDreamGM

      3 weeks ago

      Unless you are a fan of NY LA BOS that’s a good thing. If they ever get smart 100 million isn’t competing with 300. 20 some teams need these guys to waste $ and trade away good prospects.

      Reply
    • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

      3 weeks ago

      “Teams need to stop over paying for mediocre hitters in their 30s” yeah because veterans who earned it who everyone wants to see and who are factually better than tweener scrubs are “better for the game” youre simping for a billionaires wallet – gross. Be better. “Overpaying” to a billionaire means absolutely nothing at all. Get the best players you can regardless of salary or get lost, youre bad for the game.

      Signed, a (pretty much former) A’s fan.

      Reply
      • astros_fan_84

        3 weeks ago

        Plenty of fans see it differently. I don’t want my team to get stuck with an albatross contract. I’m all for other teams giving out massive deals.

        Reply
        • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

          3 weeks ago

          “I dont want my team to get stuck with an albatross contract” – why? What does it matter to you? Acuna was out the year the Braves won, it literally doesnt matter if you have a highly paid player who is bad on your team as long as you win.

      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Aww, did the precious snowflake get triggered into defending billionaires as opposed to actually talking baseball? Aw no!!

        Reply
      • Baseball_dude

        3 weeks ago

        Like I said in my last comment (I could care less about the billionaires wallet) but every team has a spending limit (they can’t sign every player they want) so why pay a player (example) 200 million for 8 years when you know he’s going to decline hard after a few years? That money can be spent for other players on shorter contracts or younger players for a long contract. just to give you a few examples off the top of my head.. Giancarlo Stanton – Chris Davis – robinson cano, all terrible contracts for players that didn’t help their teams

        Reply
      • JoeBrady

        3 weeks ago

        For the life of me, I never understand why fans didn’t care. Henry roughly spends to the cap. Every million wasted on one player is one less million we can spend on someone else.

        Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        “every team has a spending limit” that “limit” is complete BS and you swallowed it whole, we all know it but you don’t? What does that say about you???

        Spending “limits” ahahahhahahahaha what a joke. Every owner could buy every FA every year many times over. You don’t even understand how much a billion dollars even is, that’s your problem.

        Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Name calling someone because youre triggered is majorly pathetic behavior. Some would say “snowflake” behavior.

        Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        I’d like to see you IP banned for literally grammar policing a site where everyone is anonymous. What a useless comment.

        Reply
      • Baseball_dude

        3 weeks ago

        “Name calling, and triggered” lol ok dude, but remember, you were the one that replied to my original comment saying things like “be better, and you’re bad for the game” that’s why I called you a nerd (you were the one that was “triggered”) Let’s agree to disagree and drop this 2 day old chat ✌️

        Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        2 weeks ago

        Sure thing, you absolute loser dork! (See we both can act like 5 year olds when triggered)

        You’re dumb and wrong and lost this argument to me. Have a great one!

        Reply
      • Baseball_dude

        2 weeks ago

        Lmao your comments are seriously making me laugh, I just noticed that you’re arguing with multiple people on this thread, but yet you want them to get banned? (think that’s gonna go the other way around) lol

        You called multiple people Dumb and losers, but you cried when I called you a nerd and you keeping saying “troll reply’s” but you’re the one that keeps starting off the reply’s. After reading all your comments, I can’t see you being more than 12 to 15 years old.. go to sleep now little guy

        Reply
    • smuzqwpdmx

      3 weeks ago

      The mediocre hitters in their 30s aren’t overpaid, the market sets their value. It just illustrates how extreme the artificial suppression of the salaries of younger players is. If players weren’t held hostage for their 7 best (and often only) seasons, you’d see younger players making a lot more money than older players.

      Reply
    • ElGaupo77

      3 weeks ago

      Plays hard when he’s financially driven.

      Reply
  4. Angelfan22

    3 weeks ago

    I never trust a long term deal for a dude that has a career year right before free agency.

    Reply
    • #8

      3 weeks ago

      Like the fragile playoff choker Aaron Judge, who immediately fell off a cliff.

      Reply
    • Seamus O'Meara

      3 weeks ago

      As soon as he signs the deal, he’ll fall off. It happens the majority of the time with these massive deals. Either that or he’ll suddenly become injury prone

      Reply
      • Baseball_dude

        3 weeks ago

        100% If he was 27 years old (not going on 31) I can see adding ( a few extra years to a contract) but having one solid year at 30 shouldn’t equal an 8 year contract. Even if he plays for a solid 3 more years with good numbers, the last 5 will be ugly

        Reply
        • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

          3 weeks ago

          And you sound like youre cheering for players to fail, what an atrocious baseball fan you truly are. Go back to the NFL man, this place isnt for you.

  5. Seamus O'Meara

    3 weeks ago

    Someone is going to overpay and it’ll likely be the Yankees. They need bats big time

    Reply
    • #8

      3 weeks ago

      Right, signing a player who will be 31 the first year of the deal to an idiotic mega contract is par for the course for Brian Cashman and Cashman will get played again as usual.

      Reply
    • yetipro

      3 weeks ago

      Contract year syndrome. Good for him

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        What does it mean contract year syndrome? He’s always been very good.

        Reply
        • despicable_you

          3 weeks ago

          Defensively certainly, offensively he’s been pretty up and down in his career.

        • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

          3 weeks ago

          He’s going to get you 3.5+ WAR no matter what even if he stinks at the plate. That’s immensely valuable.

          I will state that playing on turf likely will cause later injury and he will miss time with an injury, but why is that always the big “worst case scenario” with all these weirdo wallet watchers on here? Who literally cares about overpaying players, the owners are 100x more overpaid.

        • nottinghamforest13

          3 weeks ago

          It’s a completely different type of turf than the type this outdated talking point originates. Stop simping for landscaping companies.

        • Darthyen

          3 weeks ago

          @nottinghamforest13 that argument is so lame for 1st, 2nd, SS, 3rd baseman and catchers who play in turf stadiums. Those positions spend way more time on the dirt, especially now with the new rules, than they ever spend on the turf (in question).. The dirt is like all other dirt regardless of indoors or outdoor stadium. Outfielders yes I get your point but the infielders nah.

    • YourDreamGM

      3 weeks ago

      My guess is Mets because why not. Yankees not bad though. If Angels didn’t already have Rendon I would go them. I could see Chapman “replacing” Ohtani. If Red Sox didn’t sign Devers. They did Story so Chapman would be right there. My 2 wild cards Colorado and Detroit.

      Reply
      • DonOsbourne

        3 weeks ago

        Detroit makes a lot of sense. Don’t forget about the Cubs.

        Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      3 weeks ago

      They still have DJL under contract for a few more years who can play 3B. Chapman is a RH-hitter so they’re not going to sign him.

      Reply
  6. JayRyder

    3 weeks ago

    He’s really playing well. I haven’t seen too much of him. But if the Defense is still solid. And his BA, and power numbers are high, especially second half. That’s where the payday could get up into the 200 Hundreds.

    Reply
    • YourDreamGM

      3 weeks ago

      Looks like awful contract incoming. Can’t wait. Defense still looks great.

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Looks like you are personally rooting for an “awful” contract. Bad take.

        Reply
        • #8

          3 weeks ago

          StephCurry, tim ‘Michael X’ anderson is overpaid and you know it.

  7. ARC 2

    3 weeks ago

    just shows how bad Fisher is for baseball. If he kept the A’s players they would have a Chapman, Olson Murphy middle of the order. Of manferd doesn’t care about baseball but making his buddies happy.

    Reply
    • YourDreamGM

      3 weeks ago

      They had that in 2021 with pitching and still didn’t make playoffs. Rebuild was the correct move. Can’t pay all those guys and wouldn’t have been a good idea if they could.

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Yes, it would have been a good idea had they spent money and kept everyone – they would be a contender right now. Dumbest take imaginable. My god.

        Reply
        • RayKingsThickThighs

          3 weeks ago

          The A’s have never spent money since the early 90s. Of course they weren’t going to keep them all and bring in free agents

  8. NoSaint

    3 weeks ago

    Best of luck to him which ever team he signs with

    Reply
  9. StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

    3 weeks ago

    Praying Gunnar Hoglund finally emerges off the IL and instantly becomes an ace-level starting pitcher smh

    Reply
    • #8

      3 weeks ago

      Steph, what are your thoughts on tim ‘Michael X’ anderson?????

      Reply
  10. acoss13

    3 weeks ago

    Matt Chapman knows it’s a contract season so he went beast mode. The way 3B and SS are being paid, he’s looking at that Manny Machado and Anthony Rendon money as a motivator.

    Reply
  11. GabeOfThrones

    3 weeks ago

    This coming from the small sample size police lol

    Reply
  12. Gumby82

    3 weeks ago

    Rachel Phelps, the fictional owner of the Cleveland Indians in the movie “Major League” looks like a saint compared to real life A’s owner and #1 scumbag in SPORTS history John Fisher

    Reply
  13. Jaysfan1981

    3 weeks ago

    Ok. Reading the comments, being a Homer (obviously screen name gives it away)

    I see it only 2 ways.

    Scenario A.

    Chapman continues to have a great year, goes to FA and a fringe team thinks he’s the peice that sends them to the next level and beyond, gives him 10 years 300 mill.

    Scenario B.

    Chapman continues to have a great year, is playing for a team bound for the playoffs for half a decade at least, realizes he can still sign a huge payday in Toronto, gives a slight discount and a few less years before Hitting FA, also playing with his BFF (Bassit) for the next 2 years signs a 7 year 185 (Springer/Barrios type money) with opt outs after year 2,3,4 etc to see if he can win a WS short term and maximize value if he continues his Torrid pace after making a few adjustments AND most importantly being healthy for the first time in 3 or 4 years

    Here’s to hoping we give Chapman Bo Vlad Varsho and Manoah enough to sign long term because they all will produce for 5-10 years or more to come

    Reply
  14. LFGMets (Metsin7)

    3 weeks ago

    Chapman will probably get what Semein got. With that being said, its going to be one of the worst contracts in baseball next to Lindor’s. Chapman will probably revert back to his .210 batting average with around 20hrs a year as he ages. I don’t care about his walking ability. You don’t pay a guy close to 200 million to walk, you pay for these guys to drive in runs with hits

    Reply
  15. cwsAscension

    3 weeks ago

    Smart FO’s will pretty much consider a super motivated contract year as the outlier and assess their performance in still recent non-contract years (+ age) when making FA offer. Hopefully a mid/small market team doesn’t fast forward themselves into its next rebuild by allocating big $ for his age 31/onward seasons. Let the deep pockets team spend themselves into a bind. Tampa and Balt are doing that.

    Reply
  16. expos771

    3 weeks ago

    Suck but he will probably end up a yankee
    Donaldson contract is done after this year and yankee love big contract to aging players
    8/280m

    Reply
    • #8

      3 weeks ago

      Expos, What are your thoughts on tim ‘Michael X’ anderson?

      Reply
  17. whyhayzee

    3 weeks ago

    A .245 hitter who has never driven in 100 runs. Thank goodness for analytics so we can know that he’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

    Reply
    • #8

      3 weeks ago

      Whyhayzee, What are your thoughts on tim ‘Michael X’ anderson?

      Reply
      • DCartrow

        3 weeks ago

        The ACE!!!

        Reply
  18. Melchez17

    3 weeks ago

    Sean Murphy also.

    Reply
  19. JoeBrady

    3 weeks ago

    LOL!!!

    Massive pay day? It only takes one team to go crazy, but most GMs can see thru the numbers. This year isn’t much different than most of his years IRT the important stuff.

    But more importantly, this article is about three weeks late. In the last three weeks, he has -0- HRs with a 24/11 K/W in 68 ABs. He’s still a fine player, but he is still a 3.5 WAR type who is 30 years old.

    Reply
  20. meandean

    3 weeks ago

    No mention of Rhys Hoskins on the impact bats list?

    Reply
  21. meandean

    3 weeks ago

    No mention of Rhys Hoskins on the impact bats list? Has he signed?

    Reply
  22. baseballknower69

    3 weeks ago

    Only in baseball does this stuff happen lol a guy has a ridiculous Career year in his walk year then completely falls off. Not saying Chapman isn’t a good player or has had great seasons in the past, but that guys just go off in their contract year is so weird.

    Reply
    • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

      3 weeks ago

      Chapman has gone off every year. Period. His worst full season WAR is 3.5, thats a very good player. You make these generalizations that the team owners want you to, but why? What does underpaying superstars mean to you, person typing comment on MLBTR?

      Cant all you pocket watching andys understand that them paying players doesnt matter at all to Wins totals, but not paying people leads you to Oakland 2023. NO ONE WANTS THIS! But you idiots keep pushing for this conclusion because thats the only conclusion to not paying players what they deserve and are worth.

      Defending billionaires wallets, moneyball, is the worst thing to happen to MLB, period. Everyone doing it in this thread has completely bought a lie that billionaires sold to them. Not an original thought in your heads. Truly pathetic all round. Go back to school.

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Yup, that’s what happens when I am forced to reply to you. You caused that. Imagine thinking otherwise.

        Grow up. Stop trolling. Start talking about MLB, not posters.

        I: make comments about the topic

        You: reply guy troll

        One of us is good for the site, the other bad, and its not I.

        Reply
      • bronxmac77

        3 weeks ago

        And of course , if you don’t have any insurance, there are loads of free clinics that can help your kind. All the best.

        Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        “Your kind” – just say youre racist and get it over with.

        “77” in user name, that means 1977, that means you are 46 years old – do your wife and kids know you’re picking fights like a pathetic 9 year old gaslighting idiot bully on MLBTR? Or was that the reason why she left you to begin with?

        Reply guy, you will never bring anything to the table and the faster MLBTR IP bans you, the better. Talk about MLB or get lost. I will not be replying to this thread again, so any reply you make will not be seen by me – will you not be a coward and not reply? Of course not.

        Reply
  23. baseballknower69

    3 weeks ago

    Didn’t Sean Murphy sign an extension?

    Reply
  24. GarryHarris

    3 weeks ago

    OAK received a large haul of waiver wire trash from trading Matt Chapman to TOR.

    Reply
    • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

      3 weeks ago

      That’s an outright lie. Gunnar Hoglund has not even played, but still has a star ceiling. Stop kicking A’s fans when they are down the worst. Posters like you bring nothing to the table, your takes are completely useless.

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Triggered by facts into muting a poster = you are wrong and dumb

        Reply
    • NineChampionships

      3 weeks ago

      That trade was an L while the Montas trade was straight robbery. You win some, you lose some.

      Reply
      • StephCurryRetiresWith8Rings

        3 weeks ago

        Yep, the 100% main issue is why John Fisher thought it was good for MLB to not sign Olson, Chapman and Murphy long term. The A’s should have offered them all 10 years for $300M while they were still under the A’s team control.

        Reply
  25. NineChampionships

    3 weeks ago

    Bollocks on the swing change. Watched Chap play in OAK and even in the minors he wasn’t this kind of hitter. That being said if can keep it up and earn that fat contract more power to him.

    Reply
  26. GarryHarris

    3 weeks ago

    Since my posts and opinions are worthless, I’ll fix that with a ‘mute’.

    Reply
  27. GarryHarris

    3 weeks ago

    The players from the Montas – Trevino trade are better than the statistics show at this point.

    Reply
  28. bronxmac77

    3 weeks ago

    Dam shame Staph and his buddies got trounced and bounced, isn’t it? They must be jealous of LA right now. It’s enough to make Draymond green with envy. Oh well. There’s always the Raiders… oh wait!

    I meant the A’s. Heh heh heh…

    Reply

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