The San Francisco Giants have made a significant move by locking up third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year contract extension, according to various reports on Wednesday night.
Chapman, who had a player option for the 2025 season, will now be with the Giants through the 2030 season. The new deal is worth $151 million, averaging just over $25.1 million per season.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Andrew Baggarly from The Athletic broke the news on Wednesday.
Earlier today, I joked with a Giants PR official that Chapman might be scratched due to a physical for a huge extension. Turns out I was onto something! (!!!)
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 5, 2024
Chapman is enjoying a productive bounceback season, hitting .247 with a .333 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage (for a .778 OPS) in 136 games. His 121 OPS+ is shaping up to be his best since 2019, the year he made his only All-Star appearance.
Originally drafted by the Oakland A’s, Chapman was traded to Toronto before the 2022 season. Although he faced some challenges offensively in his two years with the Blue Jays, he continued to shine defensively, earning his fourth Gold Glove Award in 2023.
Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images
After a tough previous season where he hit .240 with 17 home runs, Chapman settled for a three-year, $54 million deal in March, which included a player option for 2026. If exercised, he and the Giants had a mutual option for 2027.
Negotiating long-term extensions in September is quite rare, especially for players like Chapman, whose agent Scott Boras typically lets them test free agency. However, the connection between Chapman and the Giants proved strong enough to make an exception.
Meanwhile, the Giants (now 68-72) recently lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks (79-61), deepening their struggle for a postseason spot.
Regardless of how the remainder of the 2024 season unfolds, the Giants were eager to secure their franchise third baseman for years to come.