Mike Hazen has made it clear that the Arizona Diamondbacks will be dabbling in the free agent market this offseason, hoping to build off the World Series run that they traveled on last month.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Now, it is only a matter of how much money the D-backs’ front office is willing to spend and what caliber of players they are eyeing.
So far, it appears that the Diamondbacks are hoping to bring a few more starting pitchers to Arizona, along with maybe a third baseman or a utility man.
Already, Red Sox third baseman Justin Turner appeared in some speculation; however, now Matt Chapman is being introduced as a target for the Diamondbacks.
Chapman, whose two-year contract with the Blue Jays concluded this season, is now an unrestricted free agent and arguably one of the most sought-after infielders this winter.
Despite experiencing a slight dip in offensive performance last season, the four-time Gold Glove winner, at 30 years old, remains an attractive candidate for a multi-year deal.
Over his seven-year career, Chapman has maintained a .240 batting average, averaging 26 home runs in seasons where he played at least 100 games, with a career OPS of .790.
This offseason, the Diamondbacks will likely lose Evan Longoria, who was mainly their everyday thirdbaseman.
Which leaves the team with limited options, such as Emmanuel Rivera, who started at third in fewer than 30 games last season, or Jordan Lawlar, a top prospect primarily at shortstop with minimal MLB experience (only 14 games).
For these reasons, ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes the D-backs will attempt to acquire Chapman in the upcoming months.
Schoenfield wrote, “The one contending team with an obvious hole at third base is the Diamondbacks. They ranked 27th in the majors in OPS at third base and got little from Evan Longoria or backup Emmanuel Rivera in their postseason run (.200/.237/.255). They could slide top prospect Jordan Lawlar over there, but I don’t know why you would move him off shortstop (a trade of Geraldo Perdomo seems more likely if Lawlar is ready). Chapman fills a need and has averaged 3.8 WAR the past three seasons.”
Do you believe that the Diamondbacks should make an attempt at Matt Chapman?
