2 areas of the roster the SF Giants still need to bolster following the Matt Chapman signing

Just about a week into spring training, the SF Giants finally pulled the trigger on a player they’ve been connected to on a daily basis since the offseason began. They have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $54 million pact with veteran third baseman Matt Chapman. They still have a move or two to make.

2 areas the SF Giants need to bolster following the Matt Chapman signing

The full breakdown is that he will earn $20 million this year, $18 million in 2025, and $16 million in 2026. This includes an opt-out clause after each of the first two seasons.  That’s substantially less than the nine-figure deal he and agent Scott Boras had reportedly been seeking when the offseason began, and there’s definite bargain potential in this deal.

I wrote a piece last month with arguments for and against the Giants signing Chapman, and all those points still stand.  Chapman will reunite with Bob Melvin and Farhan Zaidi from their times with the A’s, and his Gold-Glove defense will bring some much-needed stability to an infield needing defensive improvement. 

J.D. Davis was a perfectly reasonable option to man the hot corner for the Giants this year, but with Chapman’s price tag lowered to this degree, it seems like the plan is to take advantage of it and figure out how the rest of the roster will shape up later.  Davis, or perhaps one of LaMonte Wade Jr. or Wilmer Flores, will almost have to be moved now to alleviate the roster crunch that has now sprung up in the infield corners.

This is pure speculation, but Willy Adames has been a potential trade target for what seems like forever now, and the Brewers’ current projected third baseman is rookie Joey Ortiz who was acquired in the Corbin Burnes deal. 

A package of Davis and, say, Casey Schmitt would probably be enough to get the Brewers’ attention and help alleviate the Giants’ roster crunch in one fell swoop. That kind of a deal would entail admitting that Luciano might not be ready to be the everyday shortstop on a competitive team. 

And, that is not a bad thing either. Luciano only has 320 plate appearances in the upper minors, so more minor league seasoning feels like it could be the best move for his development. Plus, Adames is on an expiring contract, so he could prove to be a reliable stopgap until Luciano is ready.

Zaidi might be too stubborn to admit that just yet, but this Chapman deal at least proves the Giants have serious plans to lock down a Wild Card spot this year.

That the Giants made such a noteworthy addition this close to Opening Day is surprising enough, but perhaps an even bigger surprise is they’ve still done practically nothing to shore up one of the thinnest rotations in the game. 

That rotation just got even thinner with the news that Tristan Beck will go under the knife to address an aneurysm in his upper arm and will miss the start of the season. Further rotation depth is a necessity, not a luxury, and if the Giants cannot sign Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery to a deal as favorable as the one Chapman just signed, perhaps Davis could be shipped out for a back-end arm. 

At the very least, signing Chapman will boost their run prevention a good deal and help make San Francisco that much more appealing a destination for pitchers to come to. While the addition of Chapman checks off several boxes, it feels like there is still another move or two still needs to be made.