One SF Giants player under a long-term deal is a name to watch at the trade deadline

The SF Giants look like likely sellers at the trade deadline. This should lead to them moving on from players on expiring deals, but could Matt Chapman be moved as well?

Robert Murray of FanSided lists Chapman as a name to watch and the most appealing player to be moved among a group that includes Rafael Devers and Willy Adames. Murray cites an executive who believes that Chapman's bat would play better in a more hitter-friendly ballpark.

While Murray does not believe that any move is imminent, it does shed light on how Chapman is viewed around the league. Interestingly, he adds that Harrison Bader could be another trade candidate. He is in the first year of a two-year, $20 million pact, but has only played in 30 games due to injuries.

The Giants may just want to undo their offseason. Fortunately, most of those signings are on short-term deals.

Chapman could make sense for a few clubs. Murray speculates that the Philadelphia Phillies could be an option.

Moving Matt Chapman would be a bitter pill for the SF Giants to swallow

The veteran bat is in the second year of a six-year, $151 million pact. His payments are spread evenly throughout the deal, so his luxury tax hit would not reset if he were traded.

Given how the Giants have performed this year, they might be motivated to shed payroll where they can and try again down the road. That said, this would be a bitter pill to swallow for a player like Chapman. He is objectively one of the best players on a team that clearly has a talent deficit.

The Giants have an obvious replacement in Casey Schmitt. When Schmitt was coming up through the minors, his defense at third base was viewed as one of the strengths in his profile. That has not exactly played out in the majors due in large part to sporadic playing time at the hot corner.

On the other hand, Chapman has rebounded after an extremely slow start to the year. Overall, he is hitting .260/.346/.412 (115 wRC+) with seven home runs, 40 RBI, and 35 runs in 301 plate appearances. The power numbers have not fully recovered, but they are trending in the right direction.

Plus, the 33-year-old infielder continues to grade out as one of the best defenders in baseball and has an early edge in the Gold Glove voting. While there is a lot of money remaining on Chapman's deal, he still offers a solid mix of power and above-average defense. That type of skill set is hard to come by and would make him appealing in trade talks. Though, the no-trade clause may be a non-starter.

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