Oakland Athletics Matt Chapman did not lose the contrast between the Blue Jays and A

Oakland, CA — Memories hit Matt Chapman almost every turn when he encountered many familiar faces on his first visit to Oakland since it was traded in athletics.

“Emotional” is the end of a reunion of a very familiar cycle of accumulation and decomposition in these parts, and the way he explained that the experience of green and gold completes the star player.

“When I was in A, I don’t think you really think about how long it will be. Everyone knows you’ll probably never be there forever,” Chapman said. Wearing Toronto Blue and talking at the Coliseum’s visit Doug Out J’s Gear. “If Marcus (Semien) and Liam (Hendriks) left (after the 2020 season) and didn’t resign, they probably started to feel that the window was a little closed, and obviously what happened last year. I saw it .. “.

What happened was the three-week dismantling of a team that played in the playoffs three times in a row before the gas ran out last year.

Lighty Chris Bassitt first appeared and was sent to the Mets on March 12, two days later Matt Olson in Atlanta, Chapman in the Blue Jays Kevin Smith, Zach Logue, Kirby Snead, and First. Sent to rounder Gunnar Hoglund for two days. after that. A short rest continued before Sean Manaea was handed out to San Diego on April 3.

Even in athletics, purging was particularly ruthless.

A’s experience is always finite, so it’s now up to the imagination how much that core could have achieved if they weren’t just kept together, but gasped and even augmented. I have.

This is in contrast to what the Blue Jays are trying to achieve, pursuing the current competitive window types and clearing the core from 2015 and 2016, with Chapman not losing the difference. ..

“Obviously this team has a lot of talent and the goal is to win the World Series. I have a long-term contract and I feel I can keep it,” he says.

“And it’s not always even about it. We have a clear vision of what our goals are from top to bottom. We know our identity. We It’s the team we want to win now, and it appears every day to win the division. With that goal in mind, we’re here to win, and for the contracts and people on our list. You can easily know that will continue. “

The part that keeps going is where GM Ross Atkins has to go through the needle.

The Blue Jays have spent a fair amount of potential capital in recent deals to strengthen the current group, including the first round of picks in the last two years, with clear needs remaining, especially for the mound.

Atkins and the company must do their best to balance future needs by maximizing club opportunities in 2022 while not over-removing the farm system. Scrap heap dice rolls like Sergio Romo, who lost 5-1 to athletics on Monday, and Anthony Banda, who threw a non-scoring relief inning in the Blue Jays debut, are doing well, but they need impact. that too.

Money doesn’t matter because the Blue Jays can underwrite money on the trading deadline for productive fit, but it’s imperative to use their financial capital as wisely as their potential capital. ..

The club accepts some creativity and may even trade leverage for another leverage under the right circumstances, but at least with the help of bullpen and leverage at the starting depth, if not a rotation boost. is.

We thank Chapman for having the resources to make these types of transactions successful.

In athletics, “I learned how to compete. I learned how to focus on what’s right,” he explains. “It doesn’t have to be big flashy. It really is to win a baseball game, what it means to you, and learn how to prepare yourself, complain and sweat. Learn how to stay away.

“I’m grateful to be here now because I’m in Toronto. The environment is a bit different and I’m grateful for all the resources and things here. I’m very grateful.”

Chapman has been monitoring the endless pursuit of the new Athletics stadium, boosted last week by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission when it voted for a permit for the $ 12 billion stadium and Howard Terminal, which was the subject of a real estate plan. Used for activities other than harbors.

However, the possibility of relocation to Las Vegas is hidden in the background and requires further approval.

“I think A should stay in Auckland,” says Chapman. “I saw it, I saw this place full before, they have fans. It’s not just about putting people in the stands. Maybe whatever the front office is. But I hope they can get a stadium. They deserve a stadium in Auckland. They can come and enjoy baseball. It deserves a nice stadium to do, but it’s still not an easy task. “

Neither will start over with the new team Chapman learned directly this spring.

His defenses were perfect from the jump, but his bat has just begun to appear. May’s .571 OPS was replaced by June’s .851 OPS, but his July started slowly, with 15 at-bats in five games and no hits.

Still, his .212 / .287 / .390 batting line scored 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 40 runs, a key contributor in finding his position in the Blue Jays, coupled with defensive influences. became.

“I think I was putting some pressure on myself early on to come here and make a big statement,” says Chapman. “Once I got over it, obviously I was more comfortable with my teammates, spending a little more time with them, hitting a few home runs, playing a few times and helping the team made it a little easier. When I got to know my teammates and talked to them, they said, “Hey man, you don’t have to prove anything to us, we’re here …. for you to play your part. I’m just here. “That’s not what I always do. I want to do more.

“To know that my teammates have supported me that they still believe in me, whether I’m doing well or not, after all, I really win this team It’s a big deal because I want to help. ”