The 2023-24 offseason in Major League Baseball slogs on. Yes, two of the game’s biggest stars have already changed teams as Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers and Juan Soto was traded to the Yankees, but six of the top 10 free agents and nine of the top 14 remain unsigned. It’s almost New Year’s. In many past offseasons, business had nearly been concluded by now.
A good number of the top remaining free agents are pitchers. Two All-Star-caliber position players remain and CBS Sports has them ranked third and fourth, respectively, in this class: Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman.
They seem tied together, too.
First off, they are both clients of the Boras Corporation. We know lots of things about Scott Boras, such as that he is generally one of the best agents out there for getting his players top dollar. We also know he isn’t shy about leaving his players unsigned deep into the offseason. Prince Fielder didn’t sign until Jan. 26. Bryce Harper’s deal with the Phillies wasn’t official until March 2!
As a former MVP, Cody Bellinger is a top-echelon name, as far as his agent is concerned. After taking a pillow contract last offseason, it’s his chance to break the bank.
Chapman isn’t as gaudy a target, but he’s finished in the top seven of MVP voting twice and is still an exceptional defender with big-time power. He’s heading to his age-31 season and this will be his one huge payday.
The interesting thing here is there’s a bit of a Rubik’s cube situation with some of the same teams that make sense for both players. Let’s take a look at those suitors.
Blue Jays
The Jays still could use another big bat and after missing out on Ohtani, and Bellinger fits as a middle-of-the-order lefty. He also could play center field — Kevin Kiermaier re-signed and figures to be the everyday center fielder — in addition to first base which could move Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to DH. The DH spot has been vacated by Brandon Belt and the Jays could sure use a left-handed hitter in there. Bellinger fills that spot while also providing for defensive versatility.
If, however, the Jays miss out on Bellinger, a reunion with Chapman would make sense.
Would they do both? It’s doubtful. The front office has publicly said it couldn’t sign two $20M+ per year players. In theory, at least, if they were willing to go something like 10 years and $500 million for Ohtani, couldn’t they try to swing both? I’m betting the signing of Kiermaier takes any possibility off the table, which means the Jays will be part of a domino effect.
Cubs
Bellinger resurrected his value last season for the Cubs by flashing some of his MVP upside and finishing 10th in voting on the NL side. Surely, they’d love to have him back and word has been that a long-term pact to stay in Wrigleyville is a very attractive proposition for Bellinger. The Cubs could use Bellinger in center until they are certain Pete Crow-Armstrong is ready to take over and then Bellinger could slide to first base, where they currently have an opening. It’s a great fit.
Chapman also works. There’s a hole at third base and Cubs president of baseball ops Jed Hoyer has shown an affinity for good infield glovework (notably the Dansby Swanson signing). Chapman could be a fallback if Bellinger doesn’t work for the Cubs.
They could definitely use and afford both, of course, but Hoyer has also shown himself to this point to be too conservative to be expected to land the duo.
Giants
The Giants have swung and missed on a decent number of high-profile free agents, so theoretically club president Farhan Zaidi has hundreds of millions burning a hole in his pocket. The Jung Hoo Lee signing shouldn’t preclude the Giants from adding Bellinger and/or Chapman. Either one would fit. It’s a bit more dicey now to expect them to add both, but they could make it work if the opportunity presents itself.
Even if the Giants aren’t on the landing spot wish list of Bellinger and/or Chapman, Boras could use them get better offers elsewhere. He’s a maestro at doing so.
Others
Angels: Who knows? They’ve been connected to Blake Snell in rumors and they have deep pockets, so maybe they’d spend on Bellinger. Could they move Anthony Rendon to first base in hopes of keeping him off the injured list to make room for Chapman?
Mets: Bellinger doesn’t make sense for the roster unless Pete Alonso is traded and I’m not expecting that to happen. Chapman is a fit at third.
Phillies: I doubt there’s any chance this happens, but the Phillies could always trade Alec Bohm (or move Bohm to first base and Bryce Harper back to the outfield) to open up a spot for Chapman if they think it would make them better. Bellinger would mark a big offensive upgrade in center field.
Mariners: They certainly need offensive upgrades and Bellinger could play some first base while moving Ty France to DH. He could also handle right field while being insurance against any possible Julio Rodríguez injury. Even after trading for Luis Urías earlier this winter, they could still upgrade at third with a Chapman signing.
It’s possible one of the players will rank below the other in the pecking order for any given team, but so long as Boras has multiple teams with deep pockets involved in the bidding, it’s an excellent situation for both of these high-level clients. Boras is brilliant at scrounging up interest from anywhere in the league when it’ll benefit his players.
