Blue Jays should regret letting this free agent depart after 2023 season

While sitting through some of his ugly stretches at the plate, it was awfully easy for followers of the Toronto Blue Jays to groan when Matt Chapman came up to bat. Sure, he finished both of his seasons north of the border with above-average stat lines, but it's hard to deny that there were plenty of frustrating moments.

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, Chapman signed a long-term deal with the San Francisco Giants and promptly put together one of the best performances of his eight-year career. In his absence, the Blue Jays were forced to lean on a total of seven different players at third base. It's true that Ernie Clement, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. filled the Chapman-less void admirably, but the club has had a clear need for an upgrade at the hot corner all winter long.

That's exactly where Alex Bregman would've fit perfectly on this roster. Prior to his signing with the division rival Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays were all over Bregman. He would've provided some major stability at third base for the next handful of years. Instead, the Blue Jays are going to have to trust that Clement can handle a full season's workload at the hot corner.

Letting Matt Chapman go has put the Blue Jays in an awkward situation

In two years as a Blue Jay, Chapman posted a combined 8.0 bWAR while hitting 44 home runs and sporting a .756 OPS. That's perfectly fine production, and he remained an elite defender at third base. 2023 was an especially difficult season for him, though, as he busted out of the gate as one of the game's best players through the first month of the season.

In 27 games, he recorded 15 doubles with five home runs, 21 RBI, a .384 batting average and 1.152 OPS. Extension talks were running rampant right away, as he looked to be the Blue Jays' long-term piece at third.

Then, the wheels fell off. He hit .202 in May, .200 in June, .247 in July, .197 in August and then .167 through the final 15 games of the season. In less than one year, he went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. He ended his stint on the Blue Jays with a .205 average and .663 OPS through 52 second-half games.

It's easy to see why the Blue Jays weren't busting down his door to bring him back, but the value he did provided with his glove and bat during the majority of his tenure in Toronto should've at least warranted a longer look into a reunion.

On the Giants last year, he posted 7.1 bWAR while recording 39 doubles, 27 home runs, 78 RBI and a 125 OPS+. Heck, he even went 15-for-17 in stolen base attempts completely out of nowhere.

It's nice to see Chapman find a place he's comfortable playing in, but it's tough for Blue Jays fans to watch him get this much better in another uniform. Re-signing him would've cost the club less money that bringing Bregman aboard, but it's pointless to ponder the "what ifs" much further, because all that'll do is bring us pain.

Clement, who will be 29 on Opening Day, showed a ton of promise in his first full year in the big leagues last year. He posted 3.4 bWAR while emerging as a threat on both sides of the ball and on the basepaths. He bounced around defensively, but seems to be ticketed for a lot more playing time at third base this year.

He's proven to be a valuable asset, but it remains to be seen how he'll hold up when given an everyday role there across a full 162.