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The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be active on the free agent market this offseason. After a rather disappointing ending to their 2023 campaign, the Canadian team will be looking to improve upon their performance last season, with many of their key players already under contract for 2024.
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One of the team's important players who is not currently under contract is Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Matt Chapman. As one of the best defensive third basemen in the MLB, Chapman is expected to have several teams vying for his signature. This means that if the Toronto Blue Jays hope to bring the veteran back next season, they will likely need to pay up.
Given the fact that Toronto may find themselves in a bidding war for the third baseman, the team has reportedly held talks with potential replacements in the situation that he signs elsewhere. One of those potential replacement is reportedly Jeimer Candelario, who finished the year with the Chicago Cubs.
According to reports, Toronto has had a meeting with Jeimer Candelario's representatives amid the interest of several teams in Matt Chapman. The 29-year-old infielder would be seen as a significant drop defensively compared to Chapman. However, on the offensive side of the plate, the former Chicago Cubs infielder may be a better source of hits.
That being said, after word that the Blue Jays held talks with Jeimer Candelario's team, many fans were left underwhelmed by the thought of him as Chapman's replacement. Some disgruntled fans have called him washed up, whereas others have taken shots at the front office for seemingly talking to every free agent.
While it remains what will happen in regards to the free agency of both Jeimer Candelario and Matt Chapman, it is important for the Toronto Blue Jays to keep all doors open.
The Toronto Blue Jays will need to address more than just the potential departure of Matt Chapman
Although Matt Chapman may be viewed as the team's most important free agent, Toronto will need to address several roster-related questions this offseason. Kevin Kiermeier, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Brandon Belt are some of the club's free agents that they will either need to re-sign or find replacements for.
Aside from potentially re-signing their own free agents, the Toronto Blue Jays will need to look around the open market to see which players could help push them over the edge. Cody Bellinger is one such player that has been linked to the club. However, he has been linked to several other contenders as well.
