Giants, Matt Chapman agree to 6-year extension

Third base: filled.

The San Francisco Giants difficult season has meant that they’ve turned their eyes to the offseason a little early this year. And not only that, but they’ve gotten a head start on it. Only about an hour after losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, the organization announced via social media that they had agreed to a six-year contract extension with star third baseman Matt Chapman.

The Giants signed Chapman — who began his career across the bay with the Oakland A’s — to a pillow contract last offseason. As he turned a slow start into one of the best seasons in baseball (he currently ranks 13th out of all MLB position players in fWAR), things became bittersweet. It was a joy watching him play, but obvious that he would opt out of his contract this winter, and again enter free agency.

But in recent weeks, reports had surfaced that Chapman was doing something very uncommon for Scott Boras clients: he was talking about an extension with the Giants. And now, a month before probably taking home his fifth Gold Glove award, Chapman and the Giants agreed on a deal to keep him in the black and orange for a long time.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the deal will pay Chapman $151 million over the next six seasons, with a salary of $25 million in each year, and a $1 million signing bonus ahead of the 2025 season. There are no opt-outs in the contract for either side. The Giants have since confirmed those figures in a press release, and added that Chapman will donate $125,000 to the Giants Community Fund in all six years of the contract.

That is, in my eyes, a good deal for both parties. The Giants lock up some long-term stability and star power, while Chapman gets the contract he was hoping to land last offseason, before settling for something much smaller.

Chapman’s first season with the Giants has been a massive success. Despite a slow start, he’s turned into one of the team’s best hitters, and leads the Giants with 22 home runs. He’s been an absolute workhorse, playing nearly every game, and has been beyond sensational defensively. He’s also, critically, been a key leader in a clubhouse in search of leaders … and that figures to only grow once he’s no longer new to the team (and, crucially, gets to be with the Giants for all of Spring Training).

While many fans have clamored for the Giants to clean house following a disappointing season, Chapman’s extension would seem to signal that manager Bob Melvin and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi will both remain with the team for at least another year. It’s hard to imagine Chapman, who has such a strong relationship with Melvin, agreeing to an extension if the manager’s job is in limbo; and it’s also hard to imagine Giants ownership signing off on one of the biggest contracts in franchise history if they plan to axe the guy making that decision in a few weeks.

The Giants have a lot of work to do this offseason to get back to contention. But extending their best position player — and not on a contract with an impending opt-out — is one hell of a start. And just as importantly, we all get the joy of knowing we’ll watch Chapman mash dingers and make sensational defensive plays for the foreseeable future.

Sure makes Wednesday’s loss a little more palatable.