Former Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman (right) signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants on Fri Mar 1, 2024 for three years (AP News file photo)
By Stephen Ruderman
The Giants have agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with free agent third-baseman Matt Chapman, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
It’s another signing for the Giants, as well as Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, who had himself a busy off-season. First came the signing of Korean outfielder, Jung-hoo Lee. Then there was the signing of pitcher Jordan Hicks, and then the signing of Jorge Soler to a three-year deal.
Now, Chapman comes to the Giants, and will be their everyday third-baseman. While Chapman will not provide the Giants with the most efficient bat, he does have power, but most importantly, Chapman, a four-time Gold Glove winner, will provide strong defense at the hot corner.
Chapman will make $20 million this season; $18 million next season; and $16 million in 2026. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Chapman will have opt-outs after each of the first years of the deal.
The question is what will happen to JD Davis, whom the Giants acquired from the New York Mets at the Trade Deadline in 2022, and who came into camp expected to be the Giants’ everyday third-baseman.
Davis is off to a fast start this spring, going 4-for-9 with a pair of home runs. Perhaps Davis could be a power bat, who could come off the bench to hit a home run late in the game.
Chapman is the second of the ‘Boras Four’ to be signed. Cody Bellinger was re-signed to a three-year, $80 million deal by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. However, starting pitchers, Jordan Montgomery, and 2023 National League Cy Young Award Winner Blake Snell remain on the marker over a week into spring training games.
The Giants could also be in on Snell, who would provide depth to an interesting pitching rotation. Logan Webb enters his third season as the Giants’ ace, and while he heads the rotation, he is joined by Jordan Hicks, who is being converted from a reliever into a starter, as well as young left-handed prospect, Kyle Harrison.
If Hicks and Harrison pan out, the addition of Snell, as well as the potential for Carson Wisenhunt to be called up later this season could suddenly give the Giants one of the strongest rotations in Baseball.
Other Notes:
The Giants beat the Texas Rangers, 11-5, at Scottsdale Stadium to get their first win of the spring. Despite strong offensive performances from the team, the Giants were the lone team without a spring training win coming into today.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
Crawford, who had spent all 13 years of his major league career with the Giants, and whose loyalty to the Giants dates back to his childhood in the early 1990s, told Andrew Baggarly, the Giants Beat Writer for The Athletic, that he felt like Zaidi did not want him back, despite his willingness to play multiple positions and be a mentor for prospect, Marco Luciano.
“The bottom line is I was not wanted back by the one person who[se opinion] matters,” Crawford told Baggarly. “So I went with a team that gave me a major-league contract,” implying that the Giants offered him a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
Crawford also said that despite a good clubhouse, the last two years were not fun, and complained about not generally playing more than two games in a row, as well as the lack of communication by Manager Gabe Kapler.
Manager Bob Melvin has brought a new set of rules into the Giants Clubhouse, following the lack of rules and structure from his predecessor, Gabe Kapler.
Those rules include every player, coach and trainer being on the field for the National Anthem to show their opponent that they are ready to play. Melvin is also making his starting position players stay at the ballpark for a period of time after leaving spring training games.
Veterans, including Austin Slater have shown their appreciation of the new rules and structure in the clubhouse, following two years in which a lack of rules and structure led to disappointing seasons.
One last note to add to the end. The Giants also signed shortstop Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Ahmed, who turns 35 years old and has spent the entirety of his 10-year major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, seeks to make the team and have a bounceback season with the Giants. He has also expressed his ambition to win the Giants’ every day shortstop job. Ahmed made his debut this afternoon, and went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Stephen Ruderman is an MLB beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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