SF Giants and four-time Gold-Glove winner still far apart in contract talks

The SF Giants have been connected to four-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman a lot this winter. In fact, they have been seen as the favorites for quite some time. However, there is still a "decent gap" in contract talks, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

SF Giants and four-time Gold-Glove winner still far apart in contract talks

Team president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recently poured cold water on the idea of further additions to the roster. That said, it is hard to ignore that adding Chapman would make the Giants better in 2024.

Interestingly, many of the potential suitors for the veteran third baseman seem to be sharing a similar sentiment as Zaidi. Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins recently told Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic (subscription required) that future additions would mean some level of subtraction. He did not firmly declare that his team was done but hinted that any additions would likely focus more on depth.

Of course, Chapman spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jays. He rejected a qualifying offer earlier in the offseason and has remained on the market since then. Toronto is coming off of an 89-win season and he felt like a good fit, so returuning to the Blue Jays always felt like a possibility. However, that ship might have sailed.

On the other hand, the Chicago Cubs also indicated that they are comfortable with their current levels of spending. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts believes that the club needs more revenue to spend more. That does not sound too promising if you are hoping that Chicago to make one more big splash.

However, they still appear as the favorites for Cody Bellinger even after Ricketts' latest comments. Perhaps, they could pivot to Chapman if Bellinger signs elsewhere, but that seems unlikely.

At the beginning of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Chapman would receive six years and $150 million. While he is a very good player, that feels like a steep price to pay for someone whose bat just has not produced to that level over the past few years.

Any prospective team will be weary of the fact that the back end of the deal might not look that good in signing the right-handed bat. It seems unlikely that he will receive that type of deal at this point in the offseason and the Giants likely agree. Nevertheless, Chapman has some fans in the Giants organization including new manager Bob Melvin.