Matt Chapman’s tenure with the Blue Jays ended for good when the third baseman signed with the Giants yesterday, scuttling any probabilities of a attainable return to Toronto. The Blue Jays’ additions of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Justin Turner didn’t completely shut the door on the chance that Chapman and the Jays may maybe attain some form of deal, particularly since we simply noticed Cody Bellinger (like Chapman, a Boras Company consumer) re-sign along with his former staff on a short-term contract with a number of opt-outs.
The Jays had additionally been linked to Chapman’s market earlier this winter, and their curiosity in retaining Chapman dated again effectively earlier than he entered free company. Again in November, TSN’s Scott Mitchell reported that Chapman had sooner or later turned down an extension supply value greater than $100M over 4 or 5 years. Mitchell added extra element in a publish on X earlier at this time, saying the Blue Jays’ supply was really a six-year pact value $120M.
Chapman ended up with a three-year, $54M assure from San Francisco, and the third baseman can decide out of the deal after both the 2024 or 2025 seasons. Primarily based on sheer greenback worth alone, it’s simple to second-guess Chapman’s determination to reject Toronto’s extension supply in the intervening time, although six years and $120M would’ve appeared like one thing of a discount for Chapman for a lot of the 2023 marketing campaign. Although a finger damage contributed to Chapman’s large dropoff on the plate late within the season, MLBTR nonetheless projected him to land six years and $150M this winter, owing to each his still-excellent defensive play, his excellent superior metrics, and the dearth of position-player depth in the remainder of the free agent class.
Nonetheless, a bustling market by no means actually appeared to develop. The Mariners, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Giants ended up being the one groups publicly linked to Chapman, and the third baseman finally selected the shorter-term take care of San Francisco, with the opt-out giving him an opportunity for a fast re-entry into free company subsequent offseason. He’ll financial institution $20M in wage from the Giants earlier than making that call, and a extra constant 2024 season will probably place Chapman for a extra profitable long-term deal (and he received’t be hooked up to qualifying-offer compensation). Whereas merely signing that extension with the Blue Jays would’ve erased any of this future uncertainty, Chapman appears prepared to wager on himself in having a greater platform yr.
From Toronto’s perspective, it isn’t recognized if the Jays (or some other groups) had additionally floated this kind of participant option-heavy shorter-term deal to Chapman at any level. If the Blue Jays have been certainly out of Chapman, Mitchell wonders if payroll constraints may need been an element, because the Jays are on tempo for his or her second straight yr with a club-record payroll, in addition to a second yr over luxurious tax overage. RosterResource estimates Toronto’s tax quantity at round $248.6M, and re-signing Chapman to an $18M common annual worth would’ve put Toronto effectively over the second tier ($257M) of luxurious tax penalization, and inching nearer to the third tier that begins at $277M.
It may very well be that the Jays are happy sufficient with Kiner-Falefa, Turner, and the in-house infield choices that they have been snug transferring on from Chapman even at a diminished price ticket. Or, maybe the Jays did make Chapman the same supply to the Giants’ contract, however Chapman merely most popular to return to the Bay Space and re-unite with Bob Melvin, his outdated supervisor from his days with the Athletics.
Turning to some information from the Blue Jays’ spring camp in Dunedin, supervisor John Schneider advised reporters (together with MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) that Alek Manoah received’t throw for a couple of days after feeling some soreness in his proper shoulder throughout a bullpen session. An MRI didn’t reveal any structural harm, so Manoah shall be re-evaluated in a couple of days’ time. In line with Schneider, Manoah mentioned his shoulder felt “a bit cranky, so we needed to be further cautious at this level.”
Whereas there isn’t any indication that the damage is something greater than fundamental soreness, the shoulder difficulty provides to Manoah’s standing as the largest query mark on the Blue Jays roster. After seemingly breaking out as a frontline pitcher in 2021-22, Manoah struggled badly in 2023, posting a 5.87 ERA in 87 1/3 large league innings. Manoah spent the offseason below a modified vitamin and coaching plan, however his first spring outing wasn’t promising, as he allowed 4 runs on three hits and three hit batters over 1 2/3 innings final Tuesday.
Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, and Yusei Kikuchi are Toronto’s prime 4 starters, with Manoah considerably tentatively penciled into the fifth spot. Bowden Francis looks as if the highest candidate on the depth chart ought to any holes open within the rotation, with Schneider additionally citing Mitch White and non-roster invite Paolo Espino. High prospect Ricky Tiedemann is extra prone to start the season at Triple-A, and Tiedemann is just getting again to common prep work after lacking a while with minor irritation in his calf and hamstring.
Yariel Rodriguez is one other new face in camp, because the right-hander is seeking to make his MLB debut after signing a five-year, $32M free-agent contract. Aside from the World Baseball Basic, nonetheless, Rodriguez didn’t pitch in 2023, as he spent the yr making ready to leap to the majors after spending his first eight professional seasons within the Cuban Serie Nacional and with Nippon Skilled Baseball’s Chunichi Dragons.
Given this lengthy layoff, it isn’t shocking that Rodriguez has some rust, and Schneider advised Sportsnet and different media yesterday that Rodriguez had some again spasms earlier in camp that delayed his prep work. The righty is slated to throw a bullpen session at this time and is “feeling 100 per cent proper now,” based on Schneider. “That was sort of our plan, to take it gradual and actually get him acclimated. However he ought to have sufficient time to hopefully ramp as much as a number of innings when he does get into video games,” the supervisor mentioned.
