Former Toronto Blue Jays Top Prospect Dealt in Matt Chapman Trade Getting Called Up
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The Toronto Blue Jays have been trying to find ways to build a contending team.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette on the roster, the front office has been aggressive over the years to put pieces around them to compete in the AL East and for a World Series title.
One of the most notable moves was their trade for Matt Chapman, the superstar third baseman of the then-Oakland Athletics.
Before the 2022 season, the Blue Jays shipped out a monster haul to acquire the 2021 Gold Glove winner, packaging Gunnar Hoglund, Kevin Smith, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead to land Chapman.
Both Hoglund and Smith were top five prospects in Toronto's farm system at the time, an expensive price to pay for a single player. But the move accomplished what the organization was looking for, with two straight postseason appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The Blue Jays weren't able to win a round in October during either of those years, but it was the first time they had made the playoffs in a full season since 2016.
Now, in 2025, Chapman is no longer with Toronto, and the Athletics are ready to see what Hoglund -- the gem of the trade package -- can do for them at the Major League level.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Hoglund is getting called up by the Athletics.
The 24-year-old former 19th overall pick by the Blue Jays in the 2021 draft has put together a solid career in the minors with a 3.89 ERA across his 49 outings (48 starts).
This season at Triple-A, he has a 2.43 ERA in his six starts.
How Hoglund performs will be interesting to monitor for Toronto's fan base.
All of a sudden, the Athletics look like they are building something special based on how much young talent they have coming up their pipeline and who is already on their roster. That could give the Blue Jays another team to deal with outside of their own difficult division when it comes to the American League as a whole.
Hoglund now is going to be the next one getting a shot in The Show.
