Mets Linked to All-Star Third Baseman for Free Agency Upgrade
The New York Mets have new leadership in president of baseball operations David Stearns. His first order of business is to find a new manager, and the Mets are currently sifting through their options.
When that’s done, the Mets will turn their attention to free agency, where the Mets were big spenders last offseason, but it didn’t pay off. The Mets have made it clear they see 2024 as a build-up year to being contenders in 2025 and beyond. But does that mean a team stops spending money?
The Texas Rangers and the Mets’ NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies have shown the past couple of years and you can spend big money in a way that’s wise.
After a season with high expectations that finished with a season under-.500, the Mets have plenty of areas they need to shore up going into 2024. One of those is third base. And One player that could help them is Toronto third baseman Matt Chapman, who is set to hit free agency.
Chapman hits the market as a Top 10 free agent per The Athletic. In 2023 the 30-year-old slashed .240/.330/.424/755 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI while playing 140 games. That .240 batting average matches up with his .240 career batting average for his seven-year career.
He hasn’t matched the 36 home runs he posted with the Oakland Athletics in 2019, which was his only All-Star season and led to him finishing sixth in American League MVP voting. But, he’s hit 27 home runs twice — in 2021 with Oakland and in 2022 with Toronto — along with a 24-homer season in 2018 with the Athletics.
He also brings a quality glove to the hot corner, where he is a three-time AL Gold Glove winner and has 92 defensive runs saved for his career.
The Athletic projects Chapman would get a six-year, $127 million contract.
The Mets finished the season with a depth chart at third base that included Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Luis Guillorme. Baty and Vientos are young players trying to grow their game. Baty finished with a .212 batting average in his first full MLB season, with nine home runs and 34 RBI. Vientos batted .211 with nine home runs and 22 RBI in 65 games.
Chapman is an immediate upgrade over both of them. But he doesn’t position flex. his 868 Major League games, he’s played 861 of them at third base.
That presents a challenge for Baty, who played 100 of his 108 games at third base. Vientos has some position flex, as he can also play first base. But Vientos made the bulk of his starts at designated hitter.
The Mets’ best third base prospect in their system is Jacob Reimer, who ended last season at High-A and isn’t projected to join the Mets until at least 2026, per MLB.com.
So, do the Mets stay young or do they sign a veteran that can give them stability now? That’s the question Stearns and his new staff must answer.
