The Toronto Blue Jays made a big splash this offseason by trading for Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman. The move lands Toronto one of the best defensive third basemen in recent memory, and the team has already rewarded him with a new contract. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Blue Jays and Chapman have agreed to a two-year contract.

Chapman will be making $25 million over the course of the next two seasons, in a move from the Blue Jays which effectively bought out his remaining years of arbitration. Chapman would first be eligible for free agency after the 2023 season, so the Blue Jays essentially just supplied him with some financial insurance for the next two years.

Had the two sides failed to reach an agreement, they would have been headed for arbitration next offseason. They'll now avoid that process entirely by giving Chapman a guaranteed deal, buying out his remaining arbitration years.

While Chapman has excelled defensively throughout his MLB career, his 2021 season with the Athletics saw him suffer from a major dropoff in offensive production. The 28-year-old slashed .210/.314/.403 with 27 home runs, 72 RBI, and an unsightly 202 strikeouts, which ranked second in baseball, trailing only Yankees' slugger Joey Gallo who had 213 punchouts.

Chapman was reportedly dealing with a nagging hip injury that he hadn't fully recovered from, which could explain his struggles at the plate. The Blue Jays are certainly hoping his 2021 woes were just a blip on the radar and that he'll return to being the top-tier hitter he was during his lone All-Star season in 2019.