After what was likely a longer than expected offseason, Matt Chapman has finally come to terms on a contract for the 2024 campaign. The third baseman and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a 3 year, $54M contract which will bring the talented infielder to the Bay Area.
Chapman, who spent the 2023 season with the Blue Jays, was seeking a long term deal this offseason, but will instead settle for a similar contract to what Cody Bellinger recently inked with the Cubs. The 30 year old’s deal with the Giants will include opt outs after the 1st and 2nd season, allowing Chapman to re-enter the free agent market at a time of his choosing.
Known more for his defensive prowess than his bat, Chapman is widely regarded as one of the best infielders in the major leagues. Since the start of the 2018 campaign (his first full MLB season) the California native ranks 1st amongst all third basemen in defensive runs saved, and 3rd in outs above average. That slick fielding earned him his 4th career Gold Glove award last season.
Chapman began the 2023 season on fire batting .384 through the month of April. Unfortunately, his bat cooled off the rest of the way hitting a measly .205/.298/.361 for the rest of the year. That nosedive reportedly turned several front offices off from the notion of handing out a big money deal to the talent righty.
San Francisco has had an interesting offseason as they hope to improve upon their disappointing 79-83 record in 2023. The Giants once again missed out on prized offseason targets Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, forcing the club to turn their attention to second tier free agents.
That being said, the front office was able to bring in hard throwing righty Jordan Hicks on a 4 year, $44M contract. They also added KBO star Jung Hoo Lee on a 6 year, $113M pact as well. A deal which could prove to be a steal if Lee is able to carry over his hot start to MLB action from Spring Training to the regular season. Not to mention inking slugger Jorge Soler to a 3 year, $42M contract be their everyday DH in 2024.
Couple all of that with the addition of Chapman, and suddenly the sting of seeing the top two free agents on the market head to cross town rival Los Angeles isn’t quite as bad as it was a few weeks prior.
Nevertheless, the Giants have a ways to go if they hope to catch a loaded Dodgers team for the NL West divisional crown this year. But with San Diego losing Juan Soto, and hopefully some better injury luck, there’s a pathway for San Francisco to contend for a wildcard spot and keep LA on their toes in 2024.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.