Cubs Connected to Two More Free Agents

The Chicago Cubs, the rest of MLB, you and me are all waiting for Shohei Ohtani to sign so that the free agent market can actually pick up steam. In the meantime, the Cubs are looking at other targets available in free agency that would certainly be upgrades on their roster.

According to MLB reporter Jon Heyman, the Cubs are interested in third baseman Matt Chapman, while also keeping first baseman Rhys Hoskins on their radar. Heyman added that Cody Bellinger remains an option for the Cubs, but that potential reunion is mainly tied to what happens with Ohtani.

Via the New York Post.

The Cubs are looking at Matt Chapman and their own Cody Bellinger, but waiting on Ohtani first.

The Cubs also have interest in Rhys Hoskins since Pete Alonso probably isn’t going anywhere.

This has been the first real, concrete connection between the Cubs and Chapman, who played the last two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. It makes sense, as the Cubs don't have an obvious answer at the hot corner heading into 2024 and Chapman is the top third baseman in free agency this offseason.

As for Hoskins, this link from Heyman doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Hoskins has been previously been reported to be coveted by the Cubs' front office back in November. Below is what The Athletic reported a month ago.

Via The Athletic.

 With an opening at first base and a need for a middle-of-the-order hitter, the Cubs view Rhys Hoskins as a good fit for their roster, league sources said, seeing it as another opportunity to add an impact player with postseason experience without having to go long on a contract.

I'd love Hoskins on a one-year deal, similar to the thought process behind the Bellinger contract last offseason. Hoskins is returning from a torn ACL and wants to rebuild his value after missing his age 30 season in 2023. Hoskins has a career 126 wRC+ and has been a consistent power bat since making his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017.

As for Chapman, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, his track record is incredible, regarded as one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball and you know he earned that reputation because it's not like he was getting all the spotlight playing for the Oakland A's from 2017-21. Offensively, Chapman has been steady, with good enough power numbers and his great defense that you don't mind the high strikeout rate (career 27.2 K%) too much.

He'd be an upgrade to the current Cubs roster. There's no doubt about that. However, Chapman comes with a ton of red flags. His 2023 numbers look decent enough, slashing .240/.330/.424, with a 110 wRC+. Again, solid stuff. Yet, if you look at his season splits, then you'll realize that after a scorching hot start in April, Chapman was a bad hitter.

Matt Chapman: March 30-April 30
.384/.465/.687, 5 HR, 22.8 K%, 12.3 BB%, 216 wRC+

Hey, hey, those 114 plate appearances were amazing for Chapman. No one should expect anyone to keep that up for six months, but the issue is that Chapman regressed hard once the calendar flipped to May.

Matt Chapman: May 1-Sept. 30
.205/.298/.361, 12 HR, 29.8 K%, 10.3 BB%, 84 wRC+

Woof! That was a horrid end to Chapman's 2023 season, as he pretty much provided the same offensive value as Nick Madrigal in the final five months of the year. Chapman also went from back-to-back 27 home run seasons in 2021 and 2022, to only 17 home runs with the Blue Jays in 2023.

I will point out that it's possible Chapman simply hit into tough luck this past season because his batted ball data doesn't sound many alarm bells. His average exit velocity was actually higher than his career average, the barrel % was also the second highest of his career.

Defensively, Chapman was still good. Even in a "down" year, he ranked 10th among all third basemen with 5 Outs Above Average and was third with 12 Defensive Runs Saved.

My main concern would be that the Cubs sign Chapman to a five-year deal and he's the big addition of the offseason. It screams of settling and we all saw throughout the 2023 season that this team needs star power. Adding Chapman to this Cubs team would be a positive, but if he's the main attraction...man what a let down.

It would be like the Cubs signing Dansby Swanson and hey, he lived up to the hype, but even with gold glove defense, there's no denying that you would have loved to see more from Swanson at the plate. I fear it would be the same from Chapman, and he'll be entering his age 31 season in 2024.