SF Giants could lose their best position player after this season

While not every move the SF Giants made in the offseason has panned out, the signing of Matt Chapman in free agency was definitely a good move. The only downside is that he is playing so well that he may not be a Giant after this season.

Matt Chapman could be one and done with SF Giants

The Giants went out and spent in the offseason. Jung Hoo Lee, Blake Snell, Chapman, and Jorge Soler were all given expensive contracts. Snell has turned things around after a rocky start and is now dominant. Chapman has been the team's best position player. Yet, Jung Hoo Lee got hurt early and missed most of the year and the Giants just traded Jorge Soler which was them admitting that giving him a 3-year deal was a mistake.

That is the risk you run with free agency. Not every signing is going to pan out and some may even blow up in your face. In the case of Chapman, that was a very wise signing.

It seemed predestined that Chapman was going to be a Giant. The fact that it took so long speaks to the extreme caution of the Giants' front office and their desire to drive the price down. Chapman was signed when Spring Training games were already being played. That meant they got a discounted price but they also gave him opt-outs in his contract. Chapman can opt out of his contract after this season and after 2025 if he stays with the Giants next season.

So far, Chapman is playing like a guy in a contract year. He has hit quite well and is close to having 20 home runs on the year which is a big deal for any Giants player. Not to mention the fact that he has been mostly incredible at third base making a number of outstanding plays for the team in huge situations. He has also been an ironman for the team, appearing in 111 of the 114 games the team has played this year.

He has definitely been the team's best position player this season. While he can run hot and cold with the bat, he has at least been a steady presence in the lineup and at third base for the year.

If he continues at his current pace, he could definitely decide to opt out of his deal in the offseason. However, with plenty of other high profile free agents he may decide that it is less of a headache to test the waters and will instead decide to opt in and continue playing with the Giants in 2025.

No matter what, Chapman has been a huge help for the 2024 Giants. It is just a shame that at a time when the team does not have a star player that there is a fair amount of uncertainty about where he will play next season.