Third baseman Matt Chapman bet on himself and it paid off. He and the San Francisco Giants signed a six-year, $151 million contract extension Wednesday night, starting in 2025 and running through the 2030 season, when Chapman will turn 37.
Six months ago, this might have been the best-case scenario Chapman could have imagined. After five seasons with the Oakland Athletics and two with the Toronto Blue Jays, his free agency stretched into March, and he struggled to find a deal for the 2024 season. So he took a chance on what was essentially a one-year, $18 million deal with the Giants (which included buyout clauses in players’ contracts for 2025 and 2026), hoping to parlay it into something more down the road.
And it has paid off. He’s currently hitting .247/.333/.445 and leading the Giants in home runs (22), doubles (33), extra-base hits (56), hits (126), runs scored (90) and RBIs (69). He’s played in 135 of the Giants’ 140 games this season and has covered third base with Gold Glove-worthy defense (he won four of them before this season).
Now that Chapman’s strong season is in its final stretch, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that The Giants wanted to reach an agreement before the end of the season, With Chapman given the opportunity to opt out of his contract and possibly earn more elsewhere, and with Chapman represented by mega-baseball agent Scott Boras, the team didn’t want to waste any time.
This contract is a bright spot in another mediocre season for the Giants. They are 68-72 and 8.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third wild-card spot. It doesn’t look like they’ll make the postseason this year, but with Chapman locked up through 2030, it’s one less thing to worry about as they prepare for 2025.
