Third baseman Matt Chapman was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday as the Oakland Athletics continue to dramatically reshape their roster as spring training opens.
A three-time Gold Glove winner, Chapman, 28, hit 27 home runs with 72 RBIs in 2021 but compiled a .210 batting average, the worst of his five-year career. He struck out a career-high 202 times in 529 at-bats.
In return, the A’s receive four prospects: right-hander Gunnar Hoglund (the team’s No. 5 prospect per Baseball Prospectus), shortstop Kevin Smith (No. 7), and left-handed pitchers Zach Logue and Kirby Snead.
Chapman was traded two days after the A’s traded All-Star first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves. As the lockout ended, right-hander Chris Bassitt, an All-Star last season, was traded to the New York Mets.
In 573 career games, all with the A’s, Chapman has 111 home runs, 125 doubles and 296 RBIs with a batting average of .243.
Hoglund was in the running to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 but required Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays selected him 19th overall, and said recently he could be ready to throw off of a mound before April 1.
The 25-year-old Smith was a fourth-round pick in 2017 and debuted with the Blue Jays in August 2021. He had three hits in 32 at-bats in his first MLB action.
The right-hander is a .268 hitter in the minors with 420 hits and 73 home runs in 1,570 at-bats.
