Dodgers Rumors: Former All-Star Third Baseman Linked to LA
It's never too early for Dodgers rumors! Today we have an offseason rumor to dive into but in an ideal world, it's something Andrew Friedman can hopefully explore at the trade deadline.
Former AL All-Star Matt Chapman, who's on the Toronto Blue Jays these days, is set to become a free agent after the season. MLB insider Jon Heyman wrote about Chapman in a recent column where he identified LA as a "logical landing spot" for the soon-to-be free agent.
Chapman is back on his game two years after hip surgery, and he leads the AL with 23 hits, a .489 batting average and 1.2 offensive WAR (another well-known 2023-24 free agent, Shohei Ohtani, leads in overall WAR at 1.6).
The Cubs, Giants, Dodgers and incumbent Blue Jays round out the list of most logical landing spots for Chapman, known as one of the best fielding third basemen in MLB.
With Manny Machado inking a long extension to stay in San Diego, Chapman will be far and away the top free agent third baseman on the open market this winter. The Dodgers are never one to shy away from any top free agent and surely could find a way to fit him in the lineup along with Max Muncy and others next season. But where Chapman could be most intriguing to LA is in a potential trade deadline move.
Of course, the Blue Jays would very much need to be out of the playoff hunt by July for that to be a possibility. And considering the club was in the postseason last year and have high expectations this year, it's hard to see Chapman being on the market.
Heading into play on Friday, the Jays are in second place in the AL East, 5 games behind the undefeated Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dodgers are expected to be aggressive at the trade deadline, according to MLB analyst Alanna Rizzo. Friedman and the rest of the front office have a few months to identify needs for the team and put together their shopping list.
