Is Matt Chapman or Cody Bellinger a better fit for the SF Giants?

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The SF Giants are still active in the free-agent market. Two of the top remaining free agents are Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman. If they could only sign one, who would be a better fit?

Is Matt Chapman or Cody Bellinger a better fit for the SF Giants?

Bellinger is coming off a solid year with the Chicago Cubs. After struggling at the end of his tenure with the Dodgers, he showed signs that he could be back to his old ways.

He can play any of the outfield positions and first base, but the Giants have Jung Hoo Lee penciled in as the everyday center fielder, meaning that Bellinger would likely be a corner outfield option. That would give the Giants a solid defensive alignment in the outfield for a team that has struggled badly with outfield defense in recent seasons.

There are concerns about Bellinger's ability to stay healthy though, and if you dig into his numbers on exit velocity and other metrics last year there are concerns that he may not be able to replicate last year’s success. On the flip side, he had the lowest strikeout rate (15.7 percent) of his career, so he benefited just by putting the ball in play more often.

Bellinger would be a risky bet for the Giants or any team. And with the Giants already having a plethora of outfielders on their roster, adding Bellinger to the bunch would likely force them to make a trade.

However, the upside for Bellinger is that last year was a resurgence that he can continue into his mid-30’s. And he provides a potential for power that the Giants have been dearly missing.

Wild Card Series - Toronto Blue Jays v Minnesota Twins - Game One / Adam Bettcher/GettyImages

Is Matt Chapman or Cody Bellinger a better fit for the SF Giants?

On the other hand, the SF Giants have been linked to Matt Chapman even before Bob Melvin became manager, but with all of the connections Chapman has to Melvin and third base coach Matt Williams, it makes even more sense to bring Chapman aboard.

Chapman is one of the best defensive third basemen in the league. He has won 4 Gold Gloves in his career. If the Giants commit to defense, Chapman would be an excellent choice to achieve that end. In fairness, so would Bellinger.

Everyone knows that the Giants need to improve on defense this season. While J.D. Davis improved significantly on defense last season, he is not necessarily at the level that Chapman is at.

Chapman’s defense will help out the pitching staff as well. And with a rotation that already includes several pitchers like Logan Webb and Alex Cobb who reliably get ground balls, it will pay dividends to have a strong third baseman, especially with the young, untested Marco Luciano presumably at shortstop to start the season.

Chapman’s profile with the bat is less inspiring. He started off 2023 hot before cooling off considerably to finish the year with a .240 average with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. That said, he dealt with lingering wrist and finger ailments in 2023 that likely impacted his production at the plate.

But Chapman has also shown he is a plus base runner which is something that any team, but especially the offensively challenged Giants, could use.

I would say that Chapman is probably the better fit for the SF Giants. Given his history with Melvin and the Bay Area and the fact that he would be an upgrade on defense, he makes a lot of sense for the Giants.

While both Bellinger and Chapman carry risks, Chapman just makes more sense for this Giants team given the current configuration of the roster.

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Is Matt Chapman or Cody Bellinger a better fit for the SF Giants?

Is Matt Chapman or Cody Bellinger a better fit for the SF Giants?

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