Blue Jays: Looking at the players involved in the Matt Chapman trade

Gunnar Hoglund

Looking back at this deal, the centrepiece of the entire trade was right-hander Gunnar Hoglund. The University of Mississippi alum was selected by the Jays at 19th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft and signed a $3.25 million signing bonus.

He most likely would have gone higher in the draft had he not injured his arm and undergone Tommy John surgery earlier in the year, limiting him to just 11 starts with the Rebels squad. Overall, the right-hander amassed 2.87 ERA in his junior season and was striking out batters at a 13.8 K/9 clip and limiting the walks, allowing just 17 free passes through 62.2 innings before the injury.

Hoglund never pitched with a Jays affiliate as he was undergoing rehab at the time of the trade with Oakland. The Florida product did make his first professional appearance last month, making two starts with the Athletics Rookie League squad via rehab assignment on July 23rd and 30th. He did not allow an earned run through 5.0 innings combined and surrendered four hits, walked zero batters, and struck out seven. He would be called up to the Single-A club and made the start on August 6th, going three innings and allowing three hits and one walk while striking out one batter on 39 pitches.

Since then, Hoglund has not made another start and is still listed on the 7-day IL. Many project the A’s 9th top prospect to be a Major League arm but there is likely some worry that the elbow injury is casting some doubt on his future but there is still years of development to see where he ends up at the end.

Kevin Smith

At the end of last season, Kevin Smith got his first taste of the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays.

A former fourth round pick back in 2017, Smith was called up to the active roster on August 18th and lasted about a month, finishing the season with a .094/.194/.188 slash line and a .382 OPS through 32 at-bats while being used sporadicly in August and Septmeber. He did also collect his first MLB home run, a left-centre shot of Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd at Comerica Park.

Coming into the 2022 season, Smith was fighting for a spot on the Blue Jays bench, with his main competition being that of Gosuke Katoh and Otto Lopez heading into the campaign. Smith would instead be sent to Oakland and made the Opening Day roster but struggled through his first month with the A’s, failing to register a hit until his seventh game of the season and his 17th at-bats on the year.

He also spent some time on the IL in late April due to an ankle injury and lasted another month and a half with the Athletics before being optioned down to AAA. At the MLB level this year, Smith owns a .180/.216/.302 slash line with a .518 OPS and has split his time between 3B and SS.

Smith was optioned down to AAA on June 13th and with the Las Vegas Aviators, he sports a .565 OPS with one home run, 25 RBI, and 73 strikeouts through 191 at-bats.

Zach Logue

A ninth round pick of the Blue Jays in 2017, southpaw Zach Logue had worked his way up through the Minor Leagues and was knocking on the MLB door in 2021, although an opportunity never materialized. He split last season between AA and AAA and through 125.0 innings, the starting pitcher amassed a 3.67 ERA with a 10.9 K/9 and a minuscule 1.9 BB/9.

Logue was likely not going to break the Jays Opening Day roster given the starting rotation and the front office decided to include him in the deal for Matt Chapman, likely giving him a better opportunity in the long run for a spot on a Major League rotation rather than in the Jays bullpen when looking at the bigger picture.

Logue did not crack the A’s Opening Day roster but was quickly called up on April 15th, slotting making his MLB debut in the bullpen. That relief appearance was a 1.1 inning affair against the Baltimore Orioles that saw him pick up his first MLB strikeout and his first MLB win. After that, Logue was sent back down to AAA but came back in mid-May but this time in the rotation, making his first career start on May 6th against the Minnesota Twins. He lasted 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out striking out five batters, eventually earning the loss.

So far this season, Logue has been riding the options train for the Atheltics and was just called back to MLB roster on August 13th. The Ohio product is currently sporting a 6.35 ERA through 45.1 innings at the Major League level with a 6.2 K/9 and a 3.2 BB/9 along with a 5.88 FIP through 10 outings (nine starts).

Kirby Snead

Left-hander Kirby Snead was also included in the Matt Chapman deal, as the Florida product appeared to be one pitcher to keep an eye on as he progressed in AA and AAA as a viable relief option for the Blue Jays down the line.

He made his MLB debut late into the 2021 season and finished the year with a 2.35 ERA through seven appearances and 7.2 innings, allowing seven hits while striking out seven compared to two walks. Snead was one player that had an outside chance of cracking the Jays Opening Day roster in the bullpen although he had some strict competition at the time from the likes of Julian Merryweather, Anthony Castro (prior to his trade), Nate Pearson (prior to mono), Trent Thornton, Jeremey Beasley, Tayler Saucedo, and Andrew Vasquez.

After the trade, Snead made the Athletics Opening Day roster and has spent a majority of the season in the MLB. He did miss 10 days on the IL in the middle of April and also spent a month in AAA from May 20th to June 21st, but in the A’s bullpen, the left-hander is sporting a 6.35 ERA through 31 appearances. His biggest issue this season has been the walks, as Snead currently owns a 6.0 BB/9 but opposing hitters also have been tagging him to a .308 batting average.

Another interesting thing to note about Snead is that when the Athletics visited Toronto in mid-April, he was placed on the restricted list, meaning the former Blue Jays reliever was not vaccinated against COVID-19 and would have been subjected to both Canadian and United States entry requirements and quarantine procedures.

Whether that had a hand into his involvement in the Chapman trade is not known at this time but  it is likely the Jays would have involved him in some sort of deal considering he likely would not have been able to be featured in the Blue Jays bullpen this season.