After having over a week to lick the wounds from their World Series loss, the Arizona Diamondbacks may be getting right back to the drawing board.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post mentioned the Diamondbacks this week in connection with ex-All-Star Matt Chapman. Heyman adds that Arizona is among the teams eyeing an upgrade at Chapman’s third base position.
The 30-year-old Chapman was an All-Star with the Oakland Athletics back in 2019 but had an up-and-down year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023. He hit a pedestrian .240 with 17 homers and 54 RBIs in 140 games, getting relegated to the back half of the batting order by the end of the season. But Chapman once again showcased his pristine defensive ability at third base, winning the fourth Gold Glove Award of his career and leading all AL third basemen with 12 defensive runs saved.
The reigning NL champion Diamondbacks need a new answer at third base with 38-year-old Evan Longoria hitting free agency and Emmanuel Rivera not really proving to be much of a needle-mover. Heyman does note that Chapman is believed to be shooting for a contract worth more than $150 million, which could be far too steep for the modest-payroll Dbacks. But Arizona has a clear window to contend right now, and they appear to be looking into some other offensive improvements as well.
