The Toronto Blue Jays and third-baseman Matt Chapman recently met in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the league’s general manager meetings kick off.
But according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, this wasn’t the only meeting for Chapman.
Chapman, a free agent who spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Jays on the hot corner, was issued a qualifying offer of $20.325-million. He will have a week to determine if he accepts a one-year deal paying him the average of the top 125 contracts in baseball. If Chapman were to decline the offer, he would become free to sign with any other team, but the Jays would receive draft pick compensation when he signed with another club.
Meanwhile, the Jays “absolutely remain interested” in signing Chapman to a multi-year deal, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported Tuesday.
Winning the fourth gold glove of his career this past season, Chapman got off to a red-hot start to the season but cooled off at the plate as the season progressed. Still, across 1202 plate appearances in 295 games with the Jays, Chapman has slashed .234/.327/.429 at the plate with 44 home runs and a 112 OPS.
He could always decline his qualifying offer and still sign a multi-year deal with the Jays. Still, if he were to move onto another team, Toronto would receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round due to the club spending over the competitive balance threshold last season.
Chapman is projected by multiple outlets to earn a significant contract. The Athletic, listing his best fits with the Jays, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs and Tigers, projects a six-year, $127-million contract.
MLB Trade Rumours, meanwhile, project a six-year, $150-million deal with the Giants, Phillies and Cubs as strong fits.
Earlier in October, Spotrac projected Chapman signing a six-year, $100-million deal with the LA Dodgers.
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