Matt Chapman — one of the best all-around third basemen in Major League Baseball — is officially a free agent. Despite batting just .240 on the year, Chapman's power at the plate and elite glove helped him finish with a WAR of 4.4, putting him among the leaders at third base.
The 30-year-old will be one of the hottest free agents on the market this winter as a multitude of teams will look to upgrade at the hot corner. Here are the three teams that would be the best fit for Matt Chapman.
Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia's love-hate relationship with Alec Bohm continued in 2023. Bohm had a career-high 20 home runs and 97 RBI while also boasting an OPS of .765 while ranking in the 92nd percentile in expected batting average.
Yet Bohm was still a defensive liability. He was worth -9 defensive runs saved above average in just 90 games at the hot corner in 2023 and ranked in the 11th percentile in outs above average. Bohm finished the year with a WAR of 0.5 — not the type of play you would expect from the third baseman on a World Series contender. Backup Edmundo Sosa was a better defender but did not possess Bohm's bat, hitting .251 on the year but recording 74 strikeouts to just eight walks across 300 plate appearances.
The Phillies need an all-around third baseman, and the best free agent available is Matt Chapman. Chapman finished with 11 defensive runs saved above average last year and was second in MLB in hard-hit percentage (trailing only Aaron Judge). He is a perennial Gold Glove candidate who would help shore up a Phillies defense that finished with -27 defensive runs saved above average — fifth-worst in MLB.
Philadelphia gave Alec Bohm three full seasons to improve defensively at third base and even had him split time this year at first. But without any improvement with the glove, it is time for Philadelphia to move on from Bohm and sign Matt Chapman.
Milwaukee Brewers
The third-base position is a spot that has plagued the Brewers in recent years, especially this season. A different player has led the team in starts at the hot corner in each of the last six seasons, and Milwaukee third-basemen had a combined WAR of -0.9 in 2023. Brian Anderson appeared in 96 games at third base this year, and while he demonstrated flashes of his strong glove and powerful bat, the former Miami Marlin continued to suffer from the injury issues that have prevented him from playing a full season since 2018.
Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, Mike Brosseau, Josh Donaldson, and Luis Urias also made 10-plus starts in what was a revolving door at the hot corner for Milwaukee. Brosseau and Urias are no longer with the team, Donaldson is a free agent, while the light-hitting Monasterio and Miller combined for an OPS of .676.
Matt Chapman finished with an OPS of .754 (the Brewers' team total was .705) and his 39 doubles would have led the team in 2023. Chapman is the ideal addition — both offensively and defensively — for the Brewers at third base.
Toronto Blue Jays
On paper, the Toronto Blue Jays had all the pieces to be a true contender in 2023. Instead, the club lost in the Wild Card Round to the Minnesota Twins. Yet playing in a tough AL East, the Blue Jays have reached the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and were unlucky to not earn a Wild Card spot in 2021 when they won 91 games. Matt Chapman is easily the best player that Toronto could lose in free agency this winter, and returning him would immediately re-cement this club in the AL East conversation.
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