How does Matt Chapman fit with the Cubs?

Now the question is, will Chapman return north of the border? Or will he find a new home? The Cubs are among other suitors for the Cal State Fullerton Alum, and the connection is certainly there. However, there are some drawbacks to bringing in a guy like Chapman to Wrigleyville. 

You can’t pass up on what you know as long as the price tag is appropriate. 

The one thing that comes with bringing a free agent of Chapman’s track record is the following contract. Sources have estimated a four-year, 100-million-dollar contract could be a good place to start in negotiations for the former All-Star. 

When you look into Chapman’s game, there is no doubt the incredible defense at the hot corner has always been there. Winning multiple Gold Gloves is difficult, let alone the two Platinum Gloves Chapman has to his name. 

In every season with his bat, Chapman has been at or above league average in OPS +. He has also cracked down on his strikeout rate and has seen his general slugging numbers improve.

What some teams have been hesitant about when looking at Chapman is the dip in power from this past season. Even though he played 15 more games in 2022, many of Chapman’s offensive statistics saw some change. He hit ten fewer homers and drove 18 fewer runs in 2023 than in his first year as a Jay. However, he hit 12 more doubles and saw his average increase by 11 points. 

While not everything Chapman did offensively was toward the bottom of his single-season marks, the inconsistencies presented might hold a team back from throwing him 100 million big ones. 

Where he fits in Chicago is plain and simple. If the money is there, you know exactly what you’d get from Chapman—an excellent defender with the pop of a solid middle-of-the-order bat. You can never have enough of those types of bats at the big-league level. He would aid the likes of Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki  Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson (and hopefully Cody Bellinger) going forward. 

Chapman’s presence could create an organizational jam. 

Adding a player with Chapman’s resume has its benefits but also some downsides. This primarily lies within a couple of top-100 prospects for which the Cubs have plenty of hope. Two other guys that fit with the Cubs’ future are Matt Shaw and James Triantos. They have both shown why either one of them is worthy of being the franchise’s third baseman of the future in just a short amount of time. 

Shaw was the Cubs’ most recent first-round selection. The former Maryland Terrapin and Brooks Wallace award winner brings a ton of thump to the table. He has moved off his short-stop position to get more work at third base in the minors. 

As a high schooler, Triantos was taken in the second round back in 2021. Triantos was known for his incredible glove and raw bat entering the draft like Chapman. Triantos flipped the script across two levels in 2023, hitting .287, possessing an OPS of .755, and driving 48 runs in 83 games. 

While neither Shaw nor Triantos is guaranteed to click in the show, the Cubs must feel good that at least one of them will. Does that mean Chapman will even be needed in Chicago in the future? Or will Jed Hoyer attempt to gather all the infinity stones and deal with this problem if it comes to the surface down the road? 

Either way, I trust Hoyer and Co. to decide on Chapman’s potential fit with the Cubs. Regardless of its direction, I know it will benefit the organization now and in the future.