Toronto Blue Jays slugger Matt Chapman on his time with the Oakland Athletics: "In Oakland, the owners did not have the same goals as the players"

Former Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman, now employed by the Toronto Blue Jays, doesn't think his former team's move to Las Vegas is a certainty quite yet.

Matt Chapman spoke with Shi Davidi of SportsNet Canada this week. The conversation came after news broke about Athletics ownership entering an agreement to purchase land in "Sin City" to build a stadium that they have been unable to get in Oakland.

The three-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman pulled a few punches as he spoke of his five seasons spent with the Oakland Athletics. Chapman mentioned to SportsNet that if the team does move, he hopes that it will bring the organization's endless cycle of tearing down the MLB roster to an end.

On the prospect of a move and new stadium, Chapman said:

"I'm not going to hold my breath because I feel like I've heard that before. I've heard them do that dance for every year I was there, so, eight years."

He said:

"If they're leaving and going to Vegas, I'm happy for the players — they get a new stadium, they deserve it. I'm hoping that means they'll be able to start signing guys long-term and not have to do the same kind of business structure they do now, where they just kind of turn over."

Matt Chapman, who hit .243 with 111 home runs and 296 RBIs over five seasons with the Oakland Athletics, was part of a young nucleus that made three straight playoff appearances from 2018-2020. That was before the players were traded to keep the team's payroll as close to the absolute MLB minimum as possible. He said of the end days in Oakland:

"We had so many good players, but that's just the way it goes. All of us knew we weren't going to be there long-term."

On the eve of the 2022 season, Chapman was traded to the Blue Jays for four prospects before signing a two-year, $25 million contract with Toronto to avoid salary arbitration. He said he appreciates being around a ballclub committed to winning over pinching pennies, telling SportsNet:

"In Oakland, the owners did not have the same goals as the players."

Matt Chapman is scheduled to become a first-time free agent after this season.

Matt Chapman feels bad for Oakland Athletics fans

Matt Chapman celebrates in the dugout during his Oakland days

Matt Chapman said he appreciated the few fans that did show up to the games, and understood why the team didn't draw better given they were being jerked around by ownership. He said:

"The ownership in Oakland turns a lot of fans off. So, I think that it was kind of unfortunate we didn't get the support we wanted, but the fans that were there were great."

With the prospect of the Oakland Athletics moving, he feels bad for those the team will leave behind.