Throughout the offseason, the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed rule changes we'd like to see implemented. This week we're going to tackle Matt Chapman's market.
Where will Matt Chapman sign? Which team needs him most?
R.J. Anderson: The Giants continue to make a lot of sense as an answer for both questions. He has familiarity with their brain trust; he's quite good, but also just flawed enough (the swing-and-miss concerns) to keep his market in check; and the Giants need to continue to add pieces if they're going to make a serious run at October this season.
Dayn Perry: I'll say the incumbent Blue Jays. While I have some concerns about how Chapman's bat is going to age, there's no doubt he's a valuable player in the near-term, particularly given his defensive excellence. Right now, Toronto would tab ... Cavan Biggio as their primary at third base? That's not an ideal state of affairs for an aspiring World Series contender. Run it back with Chapman and improve your chances in the brutal AL East.
Matt Snyder: I'll go with the Cubs on both counts here. I know many believe Cody Bellinger is going to re-up with the Cubs and I was on that boat for a while. They really seem content to let him walk, though, especially with Pete Crow-Armstrong as their choice for center fielder of the future. They aren't going to re-sign Bellinger to the price he and Scott Boras are asking only to to play him at first base every year. Matt Chapman, on the other hand, fits the Cubs' current M.O. Nico Hoerner at second and Dansby Swanson at short are so easy on the pitchers who can induce grounders and Chapman makes the entire infield a cheat code. Currently, the Cubs don't really have a third baseman. They still need a big bat or two and Chapman's 2023 season didn't qualify, but he still has big power and has had huge offensive seasons in the past. It's a fit.
Mike Axisa: The "correct" answer to the team that needs him most question is a team on the wild-card or division title bubble, where every additional win improves their odds of a postseason berth or Wild Card Series bye significantly. That includes the Blue Jays, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Yankees, and several other teams. There are a lot of clubs sitting in that range on the win curve and signing Chapman is a way create separation in those races.
To answer the question, I'll say the Blue Jays need Chapman most because they haven't done much (anything?) to improve the roster this offseason and the AL East is a brutally competitive division. As for where he'll sign, I think Chapman winds up with the Giants. He's familiar with new manager Bob Melvin and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi from their time with the Athletics together. Seems like a fit good for both team and player.
