The New York Yankees have made some significant moves to improve the roster this offseason, bould they be lurking in the background to make another surprising acquisition in Matt Chapman?
General manager Brian Cashman has swung two separate trades that have netted the Bombers outfielders Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham, and most importantly, Juan Soto. He's also added to the starting rotation by signing Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal and is now trying to make upgrades to New York's bullpen.
But with how slowly MLB's free agency has been moving this winter, there are plenty of top-tier players still available on the open market. One of those is third baseman and four-time Gold Glove Award winner Matt Chapman. The right-handed hitter's market has been rather quiet, but that doesn't mean teams haven't been linked to him in the rumor mill.
The San Francisco Giants have consistently been viewed as a top landing spot. However, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser noted that six MLB teams have been connected to Chapman. Among this group, she names three in particular: the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Yankees.
This could just be New York doing its due diligence and keeping an open mind if an ideal situation falls into the organization's lap. That's mostly because they have plenty of infielders looking for playing time in 2024. FanGraphs' Roster Resource currently has DJ LeMahieu penciled in as the starting third baseman. Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres are entrenched as the starting shortstop and second baseman, respectively. Outside of this trio, highly-regarded infield prospects Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera are on New York's bench.
If Chapman-to-the-Yankees gains significant steam — which seems unlikely at this point — maybe that'd allow Cashman the flexibility to look for more rotation depth or bullpen upgrades in the trade market ahead of Opening Day. It likely wouldn't be a cheap endeavor, though. At the start of free agency in November, the Scott Boras client was predicted by MLB Trade Rumors to land a six-year, $150 million contract.
