Cardinals listed as fit for Gold Glove third baseman on a huge contract

In a recent article written by Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the St. Louis Cardinals were listed as a trade fit for the Giants’ star third baseman, Matt Chapman. 

Cardinals listed as a trade fit for Matt Chapman

Chapman, 33, is a former first-round draft pick by the Athletics. After an early surge in his MLB career, he moved on from the A’s and had a brief stint in Toronto. 

Ahead of the 2024 season, the San Francisco Giants cashed in and inked the star third baseman to a six-year, $151 million contract. 

Since signing with SF, Chapman hasn’t slowed down. His first season ended with a slashline of .247/.328/.463, and with his expertise at the hot corner, he equaled 7.1 Baseball Reference WAR. 

This season, Chapman got off to a slow start. In May, he hit .186 with no home runs. Not the way you’d like to see a big contract kick things off. 

In the midst of his wretched beginnings, the Giants went into free fall. Other star players such as Rafael Devers, Robbie Ray, Logan Webb, and Willy Adames haven’t been their normal selves in the 2026 season. Due to the lack of performance across the board, San Fran looks primed to sell. 

However, while the Giants as a team have continued to flounder, Chapman is back to form. He's already posted 3.4 WAR this season, which matches Jordan Walker.

St. Louis, although sticking to a strict plan according to President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, could look to either add marginally or for the future. 

If the Cardinals were to bring on a player like Chapman, it’d require three things. 

What would it take for the Cardinals to actually pursue a trade for Matt Chapman

1. Money: St. Louis would need the Giants to take on a hefty chunk of Chapman’s remaining salary. Think of the kind of deal St. Louis struck with the Diamondbacks to offload Nolan Arenado ahead of the season. When it comes to rebuilding, most teams start with their farm system and go from there. That seems to be the plan for the Redbirds, which is fine and dandy, but if a competitor were willing to dish away premier talent at a bargain price? Let’s go All-Star thrifting. 
2. Confidence: The Cardinals have been one of MLB’s most surprising teams, from soup to nuts. If St. Louis is going to cash in on a big deal like this one, it’ll need to be less of a surprise and more of a premonition. Bringing in a big contract like Chapman demands confidence in your current core, in the new player’s future, and in your decision-making as a POBO. If the front office in The Lou needs to see more from breakout stars like Walker, JJ Wetherholt, and Michael McGreevy, then a move like this isn't in the cards. 
3. Playing time: Obviously, if you bring in a player of Chapman’s caliber, they’re going to play. When that strategy goes south, it can significantly shorten a lineup. Whether it's via injury, poor performance, or something else, when a big bat sputters, it hangs over the entirety of the organization. St. Louis has observed this in real time with the aforementioned Arenado contract and saw a similar drop-off with Paul Goldschmidt. Nolan Gorman was recently demoted to Triple-A Memphis. Blaze Jordan, who’s looked solid at the plate through his first handful of games, isn’t a long-term fit at third base, and the Cardinals' highest-ranking prospect who could fit the need is Ryan Mitchell (STL #10), who’s listed as an OF/SS and has an ETA of 2029. Simply put: the hot corner is a black hole in St. Louis, and any potential answer to that question deserves at minimum an inkling of attention. 

St. Louis fans would be ecstatic if the Redbirds went out and acquired someone of Chapman’s pedigree. 

Funny enough, his style mimics Arenado’s at the hot corner–a perennial Gold Glove candidate with some juice to the pull side. Unfortunately, that’s why they shouldn’t go after him. They've played these games before.

The thought is a fun one. The prospect of adding Chapman to an infield defense that already deploys Masyn Winn and Wetherholt is exciting. The reality is, Chaim Bloom has made it clear he’s not ready for the big fish. The Cardinals aren’t swimming in the ocean yet: they’re still taking lessons. 

The Chapman pitch has remnants of St. Louis acquiring Goldschmidt and Arenado for next to nothing. His team is stuck in baseball purgatory, and his contract is bogging down financial flexibility. The Giants’ 30-43 record has all but pushed the firesale button on its own. That being the case, someone could add Chapman for a handful of mediocre prospects. If it were the Cardinals, they could deal from their catching depth, as the Giants recently traded away long-time backstop Patrick Bailey. 

To reiterate, the sentiment of the trade is stronger than the validity. Jeff Passan made an interesting choice when including St. Louis as a fit for Chapman. Third base definitely needs addressing, but now might not be the time. 

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