A's land four prospects in deal for Chapman

MESA, Ariz. -- The A’s continued their roster shakeup Wednesday, sending third baseman Matt Chapman to the Blue Jays in exchange for a quartet of prospects, three of whom ranked among Toronto’s Top 30 list.

Chapman was a three-time Gold Glove winner and one-time All-Star during his tenure with Oakland, slashing .243/.330/.478 with a 120 OPS+ across his five years, all while delivering exemplary defense at the hot corner.

The Matts -- Chapman and Olson -- defined the A’s franchise over the past four seasons, helping spur the team to three playoff appearances and a .579 winning percentage. In that stretch, the team won 316 games; on March 16, 3/16, a new era was essentially ushered in.

TRADE DETAILS
Blue Jays get: 3B Matt Chapman
A's get: RHP Gunnar Hoglund, SS Kevin Smith, LHP Zach Logue and LHP Kirby Snead.

“I’m proud that right when me and [Olson] and [Chad Pinder] and a lot of the guys got called up in 2017, we took our lumps a little bit,” Chapman said. “We came into a team that was struggling and ready to rebuild a little bit, and then we came in and we’ve had a winning record ever since. We turned it around in [‘18] and made the Wild Card Game in both [‘18 and ‘19], winning 97 games.

“We all grew as players, we all grew up together, we all built a winning team around here and we had a lot of fun; we won a lot of games.”

Selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Cal-State Fullerton, Chapman was a homegrown middle-of-the-order force. While he expressed disappointment at leaving behind the close bonds formed within the A’s locker room, he did express excitement at the new opportunity that lies before him.

Headlining the A’s return for Chapman is right-handed pitcher Gunnar Hoglund, the 19th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Ole Miss. Hoglund was the Blue Jays’ No. 4 prospect, although he has yet to make his professional debut after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2021.

Kevin Smith, 25, made his big league debut last year with Toronto, but went just 3-for-32 in limited action. Previously ranked as Toronto's No. 9 prospect, Smith could be an immediate candidate to take over at the hot corner, having made eight starts there last season, in addition to extensive experience at the Minor League level.

Also joining the A’s organization are a pair of left-handed pitchers: Zach Logue and Kirby Snead. Logue combined to go 12-4 with a 3.67 ERA across 25 appearances (24 starts) between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo last year. Snead got a cup of coffee with the Blue Jays last season, compiling a 2.35 ERA in seven appearances. Used exclusively out of relief, Snead, who struck out 64 batters in 47 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors last year, figures to be a candidate to join the bullpen immediately.

None of the four prospects that the A’s are acquiring will be featured in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects, which is set to be unveiled on Friday. Hoglund and Smith were both among the Blue Jays’ Top 10 prospects, with Hoglund in the top five. Logue has some helium after fanning 10.4 batters per nine innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year and will be making a jump in the 2022 rankings.

Chapman’s departure opens a spot among the starting nine. In addition to the newly acquired Smith, Oakland claimed former infielder Sheldon Neuse off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday, while manager Mark Kotsay also pointed out that Pinder could step into a full-time role for the first time in his career.

“As a club, there’s opportunity in that room now that exists for those guys,” Kotsay said. “I told them to prepare for a winning season.”

The A’s won’t have to wait long to square-off with Chapman, as they head to Toronto for a three-game series on April 15-17. What figures to be rife with camaraderie will also mix with competition.

“I made that known to Matt: ‘We’re going to compete now against each other,’” Kotsay said.

Oakland’s overhaul began Saturday, when right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt was sent to the Mets in exchange for prospects. Rumors have continued to swirl around starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas as Opening Day approaches.

“What we had was special,” Chapman said. “And we did have a good team, but all good things come to an end sometimes.”