Chapman headlines list of Blue Jays pending free agents
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Change is coming for the Toronto Blue Jays after being swept in the wild-card round by the Minnesota Twins.
How big those changes are remains to be seen.
Five players on the team's roster are slated to hit free agency this winter, with another two potentially on the way out with options in their deals.
Third baseman Matt Chapman leads the list of pending unrestricted free agents. The 30-year-old could be the top third-base option on the market this winter. He hit .240 this season with 17 home runs and 54 RBI.
Against the Twins, Chapman went 1-for-7, grounding into a costly bases-loaded double play in their Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
“Upset, you know, unfortunately, this is two years in a row that we’ve been kicked out in two games,” Chapman said after the season-ending loss. “So, just disappointed with how the season ended up with how close of a group we have and how hard everybody worked this year."
Veterans Brandon Belt and Kevin Kiermaier are both set to hit the open market again after starting both games for the Blue Jays in Minnesota. Kiermaier, 33, provided Toronto's lone RBI of the series with his single to score Bo Bichette in Game 1.
Belt, 35, failed to reach base in eight at-bats against the Twins after returning in late September following a two-week stint on the injured list.
Starter Hyun-Jin Ryu is also set to see his contract expire. He was left off the wild-card roster after returning midway through this season from Tommy John surgery in 2022. The 36-year-old lefty went 3-3 with a 4.54 ERA in nine games upon making season debut on Aug. 1.
Trade-deadline addition Jordan Hicks is the fifth and final member of the team set to reach free agency. Acquired at the end of July for pitching prospects Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse, Hicks appeared in 25 games out of the bullpen for Toronto, posting a 2-3 record with 2.63 ERA while picking up four saves in four opportunities. The 27-year-old gave out one hit and two walks in his lone inning of work against the Twins, which came late in Game 1.
Veteran infielder Whit Merrifield and reliever Chad Green both have options in their contracts for next season.
Wednesday's loss marked the second straight season the Blue Jays were swept in the wild-card round and third time in four years. Toronto missed the playoffs in 2020. The team last won a playoff game in the 2016 ALCS, taking Game 4 off Cleveland before losing the series a day later.
“We got beat up two years in a row in the playoffs," Shortstop Bo Bichette said after Wednesday's Game 2 loss. "So, I think there’s a lot of reflection needed, from players but from the organization from top to down.
"Everybody needs to reflect to see what we can do better. So, I think that’s the next step.”