Matt Chapman's contract confirms missed opportunity for the Chicago Cubs

The Scott Boras four was not only the trend of the Chicago Cubs' offseason last winter but for Major League Baseball as a whole.

Boras controlled the free-agent market last winter, considering he represented four of the top free agents available: outfielder Cody Bellinger, third baseman Matt Chapman, and starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

The Cubs had tunnel vision on bringing back Bellinger, which preoccupied them most of the offseason. Eventually, the Cubs did bring back Bellinger on a three-year deal that includes a player option for 2025 and 2026, but while the team puffed out their chests at the deal, there was a sense that the offseason left more to be desired.

Part of the problem with the Cubs prioritizing Bellinger's return is that it brought them back to where they were at the end of the 2023 season. The Cubs still had a question mark at third base, and instead of adding Chapman after completing the Bellinger deal, the team was comfortable with the idea of Christopher Morel being the third baseman while avoiding the luxury tax.

We're now in the final month of the 2024 season: The Cubs are all but out of the National League Wild Card race, Morel is now with the Tampa Bay Rays, and Chapman just received a lucrative extension from the San Francisco Giants.

Matt Chapman's contract represents another Cubs' error.

Oh, and by the way, the Cubs are expected to go over the luxury tax this season.

For those keeping track at home, Chapman is slashing .247/.333/.445 this season with 22 home runs and a 118 wRC+. Fresh off Isaac Paredes making three errors at third base last night in the Cubs' combined no-hit victory over the Pirates, Chapman remains one of the best fielding third basemen in baseball with a defensive WAR of 8.3 this season.

What makes this all so irritating for the Cubs is that it seemed the team's lack of pursuit of Chapman stemmed from its desire to avoid the luxury tax this season. The Cubs are now over the luxury with nothing to show for it and no clear path to improving this offense this winter.