Mariners Trade Proposal: Matt Chapman to the Mariners

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The Mariners have been preparing for the offseason to begin the last week. They paired down their 40 man roster by outrighting Jake Bauers and Shed Long, lost Ljay Newsome to the Cardinals, and removed other players. This has brought their 40 man roster total down to give the Mariners more flexibility to make a move soon after the World Series ends. One of the biggest current holes that the Mariners need to fill is at third base as Kyle Seager is almost certainly not returning.

This is where the Mariners path to trade for Matt Chapman becomes clear.

On October 27, it was widely reported that long-time Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin had accepted a 3-year contract with the San Diego Padres. This came as a shock to the baseball community because Melvin had been in Oakland for more than a decade. Melvin leaving the A’s shows that they may not be expecting to contend as they have been.

Several A’s players are getting further into arbitration and will be more expensive, the cheap A’s ownership may not want to pay for all of the current player’s contracts as they grow. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea, and others will only make more money in 2022. The A’s may also be trying to force their way into a new stadium as the current Oakland Coliseum is well known as the worst in baseball and maybe in all of professional sports.

These lead to speculation that the A’s may try to trade players to get payroll down to try to get a new stadium and get younger and spend less money. They could trade their great Matt duo of Matt Olson and Matt Chapman to try to find the next A’s unheralded stars.

OAKLAND, CA – SEPTMEBER 21: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics fields during the game against the Seattle Mariners at RingCentral Coliseum on September 21, 2021 in Oakland, California. The Mariners defeated the Athletics 5-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade Proposal #1 for Matt Chapman

The Mariners in this deal are getting a really good player to play third base for the next two years. Chapman is arbitration-eligible for two more years. He also had monster 2018 and 2019 seasons, posting a WAR above 6, if the Mariners get that level of production that would be an absolute win for the Mariners. Chapman is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Seattle would have the best defensive third base and shortstop combination in baseball.

The reason that Oakland would do this deal here is due to the loss of their manager, wanting to get cheaper talent, and the rumblings of retooling their roster. They would get an outfielder who is close to the bigs in Zach DeLoach, he could be in the majors next year at the earliest but 2023 would be his target year. Brandon Williamson gives them a young controllable arm that could be in their rotation next year or the year after. They also get Juan Then, who had a disappointing 2021.

They, however, could turn Then into a reliever and he could potentially be another Edwin Diaz if his stuff ticks up in the bullpen. Then also could be to the big leagues soon as a reliever and is already on the 40 man roster. The A’s get three players who are close to the big leagues who could help them compete more in 3 years. They all would be very cheap and under club control for more than six years each.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 21: Jarred Kelenic #10 of the Seattle Mariners slides into third base with a triple under the tag from Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics in the top of the fourth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on September 21, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade Proposal #2 for Matt Chapman

The Mariners in this proposal still get Chapman who has had some serious fall off in production since 2019. He had a down 2020 but not as bad as his 2021. Chapman looked much worse in 2021 and his strikeout rate has ballooned the last two seasons, rising above 30%. Those numbers are not good and not what the Mariners want, but they would make this trade because they trust their ability to improve his approach.

The Mariners also get a low minors prospect in this deal in outfielder Michael Guldberg. Guldberg was drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft out of Georgia Tech. He has been a good hitter in college and in a small sample 2021 minor league season. He doesn’t have much power but has good contact skills and can play in the outfield. He was a top 100 pick in 2020 as well.

For the A’s here, they get Drew Steckenrider to add to their bullpen since they always compete better than people expect. They also get Moore and Fraley to bolster their current roster who they could see getting some playing time for cheap if they want to sell off more expensive pieces. They also get a young right-hander in Connor Phillips who gives them a promising pitcher who should be ready to help them in two to four years.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 07: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics throws to first base throwing out Andrew Vaughn #25 of the Chicago White Sox in the top of the seventh inning at RingCentral Coliseum on September 07, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade Proposal #3 for Matt Chapman

The Mariners get their third baseman for the near future as they compete in 2022 and beyond. Seattle is going to not give up a package worth the 6 WAR Matt Chapman because he hasn’t been that player for a bit. They would totally hope that he can return to it. Even in 2021, he had a 3.4 WAR and 101 wRC+. He was at the worst league average which would help the Mariners greatly, and even more, if Chapman returns to greater form.

They also get reliever Deolis Guerra who has a few more years of team control and has parts of seasons with the Pirates, Angels, and A’s. Guerra is 32 and the Mariners have had great success with getting the most out of pitchers especially. Guerra doesn’t have a dominant fastball but does a good job of limiting hard contact.

The Athletics here would get a plug-and-play replacement for Chapman in Abraham Toro. It would hurt to part with Toro, but for Chapman, it would surely be worth it. The A’s also get position player prospects Taylor Trammell and Kaden Polcovich since the A’s have a pretty poor farm system now. Trammell just needs time to keep playing and get better. They also get Juan Then who could be a starter for them or potentially be a flame-throwing reliever if they choose that path for him.

Next. Mariners FA Target: Paying Max Scherzer. dark

The Mariners should definitely be interested in trading for the A’s third baseman Matt Chapman. He would give the Mariners a veteran third baseman to build around. His defense would be a sight to see next to J.P. Crawford. The Mariners would also offer him a change of scenery by getting out of Oakland. Chapman could be an under-the-radar candidate if they can get him to return to his early-career form at the plate. The Mariners would be smart to extend Chapman if he gets better.

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This is where the Mariners path to trade for Matt Chapman becomes clear.

Mariners Trade Proposal #1 for Matt Chapman

Mariners Trade Proposal #2 for Matt Chapman

Mariners Trade Proposal #3 for Matt Chapman

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