Matt Chapman likely to return just in time for SF Giants to make trade deadline deal

SF Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has not appeared in a game for San Francisco since late June, but reports are that he could return for the Giants this weekend. That would be perfect timing as it is right ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Monday, August 3.

Of the “big three” contracts the Giants have on the books, Chapman has always seemed like the easiest one to move. He is owed $100 million after 2026 which is less than Willy Adames and Rafael Devers and he’s also still a superb defender so a team should still get value out of him even if the bat goes cold.

He’s hitting just .235/.324/.368 on the season with seven home runs and 42 runs batted in. It seemed like it would be hard for the Giants to trade him due to his abdominal injury since teams might be scared off by an underperforming, injured 33-year-old who is still owed a lot of money. But if a team out there is desperate for a third baseman maybe they go after Chapman.

This could be complicated by Casey Schmitt’s knee injury. He had to leave Monday night’s game and was limping in the dugout. We’ll learn more once there’s an MRI but Schmitt has done a great job filling in for Chapman at third base.

He’s done so well in fact, especially defensively, that some fans have wanted the Giants to trade Chapman to clear the way for Schmitt. 

Depending on the severity of Schmitt’s injury, that could change San Francisco’s calculus with Chapman. If he’s out the rest of the season maybe the Giants are more inclined to keep Chapman if they fear Schmitt might not come back the same from the injury.

Or maybe they push harder to trade Chapman especially since right-handed hitters are at a premium in this trade market right now. Chapman may be having a down year offensively but teams get can desperate and do crazy things at the deadline.

Chapman still ultimately dictates his destiny with the Giants

Of course, Chapman has a full no-trade clause so he is the one who will ultimately determine where he goes. He likely wants to stay on the West Coast so maybe a team like the Seattle Mariners would make sense.

If Chapman does indeed return this weekend, that could serve as a mini-audition of sorts. If he looks good and unencumbered by injury then maybe that will motivate a team to take a chance on him.

The most likely outcome is still that he stays put, but the fact that he’s returning to the field ahead of the trade deadline at least slightly raises the chance that he could be traded. 

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