Blue Jays, Matt Chapman agree to two-year, $25M extension

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman avoided arbitration. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays, Gold Glove 3B Matt Chapman agree to two-year, $25 million contract extension

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 3/22/22

Less than one week after acquiring three-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays made sure the new face stays north of the border for at least the next couple of seasons.

Matt Chapman is set to hit free agency following the 2023 season, so this deal with the Blue Jays buys out his final two years of arbitration. He did not give up any free agent years. Just got cost certainty for 2023 regardless of how he performs in his first year with Toronto.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 22, 2022

The two-time Platinum Glove winner joins a stacked Toronto infield that also includes Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. As Opening Day approaches, many fans and experts alike have been calling the Blue Jays the favorite not only in the AL East, but one of the top contenders in the entire American League.

The Athletics selected Chapman with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft, and he made his big-league debut in 2017. After playing 84 games that year, Chapman became Oakland's full-time starter at the hot corner in 2018, collecting a career-high 152 hits and 42 doubles, while posting career-bests in batting average (.278), on-base percentage (.356) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.864) as well.

Chapman earned his first Gold Glove that season and finished seventh in the AL MVP voting. He was even better during the 2019 campaign. In 2019, the Victorville, Calif. native posted career-highs in games played (156), at-bats (583), home runs (36), RBI (91) and runs scored (102), while finishing sixth in the MVP voting, earning his second straight Gold Glove and making his lone All-Star team of his career thus far.

The 28-year-old Chapman led the AL in defensive wins above replacement (WAR) in both 2018 and 2019 at 2.9 and 3.3, respectively. After recording 10 home runs and 25 RBI over the truncated 2020 campaign, Chapman's production dipped in 2021, as he finished with 27 home runs, 72 RBI, 75 runs, 111 hits, just a .210/.314/.403 slash line and a career-high 202 strikeouts, though he also finished with a career-high 80 walks.

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