After Chapman signing, the Giants have a trade chip that could interest the Blue Jays

As things stand, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is projected to start at third base for the Blue Jays in 2024. There are plenty of fans out there who are underwhelmed by this prospect and hoping the team can bring in someone more suitable.

Well, one option now off the table is last season’s starter at third base in Toronto, as Matt Chapman has signed a three-year, $54M deal with the San Francisco Giants.

What makes this deal surprising is the value of it especially with, as per TSN’s Scott Mitchell, the Blue Jays apparently previously offering Chapman six years and $120M to return. This would have been too much for a player who was overall subpar last season offensively, but it must be frustrating for some to think he actually ended up signing elsewhere for a more reasonable price.

Ready-made replacement?

Now we appreciate the Blue Jays will miss the four-time All-Star’s dependable defence at third base. However, his signing with the Giants may have inadvertently opened up the door for Ross Atkins to bring in an intriguing replacement at the corner infield spot.

We assume that Chapman will be the Giants’ full-time starter at third base, which means he will replace J.D. Davis. Having played 116 games at the position last season, is Davis really going to accept being demoted to a backup role this year in San Franciso?

With this in mind, you can make a case for the Blue Jays inquiring with the Giants about the 30-year-old. He is a decent defender in his own right, who can help out at the hot corner position.

Versatility helps

We envision a scenario where Davis and Kiner-Falefa platoon at third base, with both players equally capable of playing at other positions. While the majority of Davis’ starts in the Majors have been at third base, he has also seen time at first base, in left field and as DH; similarly, Kiner-Falefa has played at shortstop, catcher, DH and every outfield spot.

Another reason to like Davis, is that he is a power hitter and still with some upside. He has a career .261/.343/.432 slash line, .775 OPS and 113 OPS+ during his seven years in the big leagues.

One other reason the Blue Jays should make a move for the 2014 third round draft pick, is the team-friendly value of his contract. He will have a cap hit of just $6.9M this year, which is clearly better than Chapman’s would have been, or indeed ended up being with the Giants.

Some may well point to Davis being eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. However, if he were to work out in Toronto, you would like to think Atkins and company will approach him about a potential new deal.

Overall, we appreciate the Giants may not actually want to part company with the right-handed bat, or if they do, may want more than the Blue Jays are willing to part with. However, Atkins owes it to the fan base to at least make that call to Giants general manager, Pete Putila.

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This article was originally published on jaysjournal.com as After Chapman signing, the Giants have a trade chip that could interest the Blue Jays.