investigating Matt Chapman’s Market Following The Sale Of Cody Bellinger
The “Boras Four” have been the focus of attention in the baseball world for several weeks now. The Boras Corporation represents Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, and Cody Bellinger. Until late February, all four players remained unsigned free agents as it appeared that the agency and potential clubs were engaging in a staring contest.
The first blink finally came over the weekend, with Bellinger agreeing to return to the Cubs on a short-term, opt-out laden deal. Bellinger is guaranteed $80M over three years but can walk away after each of the first two seasons, collecting salaries of $30M in each of those two campaigns.
The focus will now go to the other three, and Chapman in particular may have cascading implications from the Bellinger agreement.
The Cubs were one of four teams reportedly involved in his market. The addition of Bellinger does not eliminate the Cubs’ roster fit with Chapman, as their third base mix remains somewhat uncertain. It appears that some combination of Nick Madrigal, Christopher Morel, and Patrick Wisdom will compete for playing time at the hot corner. Morel has only played 180 2/3 big league innings at the position, with defensive metrics rating him poorly. It’s a small sample, but the Cubs haven’t been comfortable enough with his abilities there to allow him to increase it. His powerful bat also carries concerns, as he has a 31.6% strikeout rate. Wisdom’s profile is somewhat comparable, while Madrigal is the opposite, offering solid glovework and avoiding strikeouts.