Could Mariners still add Matt Chapman to ‘complete’ roster?

Feb 18, 2024, 4:44 PM | Updated: 4:45 pm

The Blue Jays' Matt Chapman and Santiago Espinal before a 2022 game against the Seattle Mariners. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

BY BRENT STECKER

Editor, Seattle Sports

As Seattle Mariners spring training gets ready to kick into gear, there’s one available name that keeps coming up: Matt Chapman.

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If you look at the Mariners’ current roster, it looks generally ready for opening day. There are still a couple of question marks in the lineup, however, with platoons in the outfield and at third base. And that’s where the possibility of Chapman enters the picture.

A one-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Platinum Glove recipient, Chapman will turn 31 years old in just a couple of months. He’s always had pop at the plate, albeit with high strikeout numbers, but it’s his elite defense at third base that has gained the most attention throughout his career.

At his age and with some injury history, Chapman isn’t the same defender he once was, but he still ranked high in range (87th percentile) and arm strength (80th) last season with the Toronto Blue Jays (per Statcast) to win his fourth Gold Glove. He also rated highly in sprint speed (80th), average exit velocity (98th), barrel percentage (98th), hard-hit percentage (100th) and chase percentage (94th) while posting a .240/.330/.424 slash line for a .755 OPS with 17 homers and 39 doubles in 140 games.

And yet his remains a free agent with teams having already reported to their spring training camps in either Arizona or Florida.

Is this a potentially advantageous situation for the Mariners, who have the much less proven Luis Urías and Josh Rojas set to platoon at third base following the offseason trade of Eugenio Suárez? It just might be, and adding Chapman would be the kind of move that could help add some stability to an infield that looks a lot less defensive-minded than in recent years.

Batters beware: Don't hit it near Matt Chapman.

(MLB x @Chevrolet) pic.twitter.com/iRmi6Mz1Dt

— MLB (@MLB) May 19, 2023

Ryan Divish, who covers the Mariners for The Seattle Times, reported in an article this weekend that the Mariners have “discussed the possibility of adding Chapman,” and that the team unsuccessfully tried to acquire him from Oakland when the A’s tore down their roster prior to the 2022 season. A few days prior to that report in the Times, Divish spoke about Chapman as a potential fit with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. A key point was that the state of Chapman’s market now could pique the interest of Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and the front office more than his free agency did earlier this offseason.

“Sometimes a player’s value is all about the timing of need, of opportunity,” Divish said. “Matt Chapman’s value to the Mariners three months ago maybe wasn’t as high when they were still trying to piece together how they’re gonna even have the payroll to do anything. But now Matt Chapman’s value to the Mariners is a little higher because they’ve finished all these other pieces and here’s one piece where you say, look, this is the accentuating piece. We don’t have to do anything else.”

It’s possible Chapman’s asking price could go down soon.

“If Matt Chapman doesn’t sign for a week or two here,” Divish said, “I think the number is going to change, and Matt Chapman may have to go to (his agent Scott) Boras and say, ‘I want to go somewhere. We need to lower the number.’ And if you’re the Mariners and… you can get him on a three-year deal and it’s within range, maybe that’s when Jerry Dipoto goes to (Mariners chairman and managing partner) John Stanton.”

Divish detailed the argument the Mariners’ front office could make for signing Chapman.

“Here’s a guy right here that finishes our lineup, and we go from maybe a solid team if everything goes right to you remove some of the ‘what if (this) happens?’ or ‘what if injury happens?'”

Matt Chapman drills his first of the year! pic.twitter.com/TRF2mSIwwx

— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2023

Is Matt Chapman the final piece for Seattle Mariners’ lineup?

Earlier in the week before talking to Divish, Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk outlined similar thoughts on Matt Chapman as a fit for the Mariners. And similar to how Divish said the team’s tune may be changed on Chapman due to where they are now compared to earlier in the offseason, Salk is more on board with signing Chapman because of the work already done this offseason to the roster.

“I know there are folks out there who don’t (want the Mariners to sign Chapman), and I’ve never been his biggest fan either,” Salk said, “but he would complete this roster and I think kind of change the way you’re looked at heading into this regular season. … It’s not perfect. Matt Chapman’s not the perfect bat for this lineup, but he is an upgrade on what you have now. He would solidify some of the defense, and his market is not what he would have hoped it would be.”

Salk said there’s another way Chapman makes sense for Seattle.

“My understanding, by the way, is that he’s got the right personality to fit well on this team. He would complete this roster. … It would be a good move. It’s not perfect, but it would certainly be a move that would complete this roster heading into this season.”

Divish corroborated that Thursday when he joined the show.

“Matt Chapman’s a guy that’s about team, too, and I think that’s one reason why the Mariners even are interested,” Divish said. “The defensive aspect of it, they believe he can hit still a little bit, but the guy’s a worker, he fits in. That’s the one thing I’ve noticed about all these guys have gotten – (Mitch) Garver, (Jorge) Polanco, (Luke) Raley, (Mitch) Haniger bringing him back. They fit in. They’re not taking the chances on on guys that they don’t know about like the (Jesse) Winkers of the world. They want guys that are going to work and they’re going to buy in to exactly what they’re doing because they just don’t have time. I mean, their window is limited and you don’t have time to break new guys in and wait two months for them to either get in or get out.”