Latest Yankee Rumor: Yankees Are Tied To The Other Chapman

Welcome to the latest edition of “headlines that don’t make sense” starring the New York Yankees. We all know the Yankees will be tied to any baseball player for any reason at all. Sometimes those reasons make some sense and sometimes they don’t.

So the latest headline that has come out of nowhere. Not sure how the San Francisco Chronicle got this tidbit, but at the bottom of the story HERE six teams are interested in Matt Chapman, including the Yankees. Why on earth would the Yankees be looking at Chapman?

Back in December, Brian Cashman said upgrading third base wasn’t on his radar, read more here. I think we all know the Yankees have more pressing needs. Third base isn’t the biggest weakness. Adding some more offense in general and starting pitching have been the pressing needs. I’m all for upgrades, and the Yankees sure could use some more of them. Juan Soto alone is not going to fix this anemic Yankees offense.

But why on earth would Chapman be an upgrade? We all know DJ LeMahieu has struggled the last few seasons, so he’s not perfect but he is versatile. If there was an upgrade that would make the Yankees stronger, I’d be all for it….but that’s not Chapman.

Nothing against Chapman but we have a roster full of him. Last season he finished with a .240 BA with 54 RBI’s and 165 strikeouts. He looks just like the rest of the Yankees. Over 7 seasons his average is .240 BA and 80 RBI’s. It’s worth noting, his best season for RBI’s was in 2019, and his last three seasons he’s had more than 160 strikeouts so adding Chapman does not make him any better than LeMahieu or even Anthony Rizzo. If the Yankees want more of the same mediocrity, then Chapman would be just that. He’s another lackluster right-handed bat on the decline that strikes out a lot.

Spring Training is less than three weeks away, and the Yankees don’t need Chapman on their roster. He doesn’t make it better in any category. Not sure where some of these headlines come from, but they can drive a girl crazy. Hopefully this is just a garbage headline.

–Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj