The Chicago Cubs fell short of making the MLB playoffs this past season with a record of 83-79. The Cubs were one of the surprise stories in the majors this season after finishing with 74 wins in 2022.
Chicago hasn’t made a huge splash in free agency yet, but they still have time to make a few moves before spring training next month. The Cubs will likely have to add another starter in the rotation with Marcus Stroman as an unrestricted free agent. They’ll also need to pick up another bat as Chicago tries to replace unrestricted free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter thinks Chicago is an ideal landing spot for third baseman Matt Chapman. Chapman is coming off of a solid season with the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .240 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. The last time the veteran third baseman slugged .240 or higher was in 2019 with the Oakland Athletics (.249 with 36 home runs and 91 RBI).
The 30-year-old infielder would also be an upgrade defensively at the hot corner, as he’s won a Gold Glove four times in his career, including this past season with the Jays. Bleacher Report projects Chapman to get a six-year, $156 million contract.
As things currently stand, the Cubs have Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, and Christopher Morel at third base. Madrigal hit for average last season (.263), which was better than Chapman, but he doesn’t possess the same power (2 HRs).
Meanwhile, Wisdom slashed .205/.289/.500 with 23 home runs and 46 RBI in 97 games this past season. Defensively, he had 53 putouts in 61 games at third base but also produced 11 errors (second-highest in his career).
Finally, Morel slugged .247 with a career-high 26 home runs and 70 RBI last season. As for his defense, the 24-year-old infielder had two putouts and one error in five games at the hot corner as he played all over the field.
Nonetheless, if the Cubs can land Chapman before spring training, it could give them a boost in the NL Central, which has a lot of solid teams looking to win the division crown and get into the playoffs.
