Toronto Blue Jays fans had hope entering this offseason that big changes were coming. After getting swept in back-to-back Wild Card Rounds, this was the offseason for the Jays to go all-in. After all, the team’s cornerstone players Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are only getting closer to free agency.
The Jays seemed to be all-in on Shohei Ohtani and actually came close to signing him before the world learned that he was not on a plane headed to Canada and signed with the Dodgers 24 hours later. The best player Toronto has added this offseason is Justin Turner who makes them better, but when taking into account the fact that he’s just replacing Brandon Belt who was great last season, that signing doesn’t put them in the same category as teams like the Orioles and Yankees.
One player who would’ve made them better who happened to be sitting in free agency into late February was Matt Chapman, a player who was on the Blue Jays and wound up signing a team-friendly deal with the Giants.
The Jays fan base has been frustrated all offseason with the team’s inactivity and lack of urgency, and Toronto passing on Chapman appears to have been the final straw for some, as fans lit Ross Atkins up on Twitter.
Blue Jays fans express their frustration aimed at Ross Atkins after he missed out on re-signing Matt Chapman.
The Jays letting Chapman sign elsewhere if he got the nine-figure deal he was seeking would’ve made sense. Chapman had an underwhelming year in the 2023 season, so locking him in long-term wouldn’t have made too much sense. The problem is Chapman signed a three-year deal worth just $54 million. Considering the fact that the Jays have no clear solution at third base, that’s a problem.
Barring a massive Isiah Kiner-Falefa breakout, the Jays missed out here. They appear to be planning on having a combination of IKF, Davis Schneider, Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio, and even Justin Turner playing third base. Good luck, I guess.
Chapman has his faults as a player but provides Gold Glove defense, has a ton of power, and is extremely durable. He’s still one of the better overall third basemen in the game even after his down year and will make the Giants a much better team.
On paper, the Jays roster looks worse than the one they had last season. They barely squeaked into the playoffs last season, and now might even be considered underdogs to play meaningful baseball in October after letting Chapman go. If Toronto has another disappointing year, we can only wonder if Atkins’ tenure in Toronto will finally reach an endpoint.
