5 trades Yankees can make once the lockout ends

Matt Chapman – Third Baseman

The Yankees might not get an Olson deal done, but they could still make something happen with the Oakland A’s. One of the pieces expected to get traded is third baseman Matt Chapman. Now, third base isn’t exactly a strong need for the Yankees, but they could make things work if they rework the infield with Gio Urshela, Gleyber Torres and D.J. LeMahieu. It would be a pretty good infield, to say the least.

Chapman won’t cost nearly as much as Olson would. He would have a huge impact on the Yankees in all aspects of the game. Torres and Urshela had too many errors last season. Chapman is one of the better fielding third basemen in the league. It would really help keep unwarranted baserunners off the basepaths.

Chapman is also coming off a weak offensive season, which will keep his value low, unlike Olson. He was coming off a strange 2020 season, and a .210 batting average in 2021 won’t help matters for Oakland. He did hit 27 home runs, so the power numbers were still there. He would be a nice addition to the lineup, and he’s a prime candidate for a bounce-back year.

At 28 years old, Chapman still has some quality years left. He has one more year on his contract before he goes to arbitration.