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The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly tried to keep Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman in the fold by offering him a big contract within the last year.
Chapman turned it down, only to end up with "just" a three-year, $54 million deal from the San Francisco Giants this week.
Scott Mitchell of TSN in Canada had more on the Jays' offer:
Man, #BlueJays must have no payroll wiggle room because this is the type of deal I expected them to match, especially because Chapman is going to opt out in eight months. It’s a head scratcher they’d offer 6/$120M within the past year, then not circle back on this.
Man, #BlueJays must have no payroll wiggle room because this is the type of deal I expected them to match, especially because Chapman is going to opt out in eight months.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) March 2, 2024
It’s a head scratcher they’d offer 6/$120M within the past year, then not circle back on this. https://t.co/YEMYYwUkL0
There's no definitive word on just when this offer came from Toronto, but evidently Chapman felt he was going to do better for himself on the open market and it just didn't happen.
Furthermore, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that Chapman also previously turned down a contract extension when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics.
Chapman, who turned down a $125 million contract from the Toronto Blue Jays last year, and a 10-year, $150 million contract from the Oakland A’s in 2019, wound up signing a three-year, $54 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
It’s a far cry from the $150 million he was seeking at the start of free agency.
The 30-year-old Chapman is a .240 career hitter with 155 homers. He's an All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner who has spent seven years with the Athletics and Blue Jays.
In addition to Chapman, the Giants have added Jordan Hicks, Jorge Soler and Jung-Ho Lee this offseason.
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