SF Giants Rumors: Juan Soto trade, Matt Chapman, expanding budget

This offseason is going to be a very consequential one for the San Francisco Giants. After failing to add a big name last offseason, the Giants collapsed in the second half of 2023 and went from competing at the top of the division to missing the playoffs entirely. The Giants cleaned house at the end of season with manager Gabe Kapler losing his job. If the front office doesn't deliver this offseason, president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi could very well be next on the chopping block.

It is no wonder that the Giants are seemingly mentioned as a potential landing spot for every big name out there. San Francisco is clearly motivated to make changes especially when it comes to their mediocre at best offense. Even if they end up losing out on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, it is fair to guess that they will remain very active up until the beginning of spring training.

That being said, so much of what is out there is just noise leaked by agents or teams. Right now, everyone is jockeying for the best negotiating position and the Giants are one of those teams that everyone knows is looking to make moves so mentioning their involvement is only going to help drive up the price tag for guys. However, there is enough smoke out there with some of these rumors to merit a longer look.

SF Giants Rumors: Could the Giants end up trading for Juan Soto?

This is a big one as not only would Soto provide a huge boost for a Giants' offense that desperately needs an impact bat, but it would signal a real shift in the dynamics of the NL West. The Padres are in a tough position as their owner who pushed for all of their spending in recent years just passed away and they were already looking to trim their bloated payroll before that. Given that Juan Soto is expected to get north of $30 million in arbitration this year, trading him before his final season of team control makes a lot of sense.

While getting a deal done with a division rival is never easy, this rumor has some legs. The Giants have long been mentioned as a potential Soto trade partner and the chatter around such a move has only increased as the offseason has gone on. San Francisco has the young talent that the Padres are looking for in return and they certainly have the money to pay Soto this year. Ultimately, whether or a not a deal gets done could come down to how likely the Giants feel it is that they can hang on to him long-term and whether or not San Diego can stomach the idea of Soto playing in a Giants uniform in 2024.

SF Giants Rumors: Is San Francisco really targeting Matt Chapman?

Another big time bat that San Francisco has been connected to this offseason is Matt Chapman. Chapman was positioned going into the 2023 season to be one of the absolute top free agents this offseason. Unfortunately, his inconsistency at the plate hurt his stock a bit even though he remains one of the top position players available especially when you factor in his elite defense at third base.

The fit for the Giants here is fairly straightforward. The team could really use a strong defender after being one of the worst defensive teams in baseball in 2023 (-52 defensive runs saved is gross no matter how to look at it) and Chapman has never posted a wRC+ lower than 101 in his career thanks to having some pop and the ability to regularly draw walks.

There are some factors to consider with Chapman, however. One, while he is a good hitter, he isn't always an impact bat which is what the Giants really need. His defense will always provide a lot of value unless he loses a limb, but a career .240 hitter isn't exactly a guy that is going to turn an offense around especially when he is going to command north of $125 million with the Blue Jays and some other deep pocketed teams looking to add lineup help this offseason.

Secondly, Chapman is going to cost just enough that there could be some opportunity cost in signing him. The Giants aren't hurting for payroll space, but they are aiming high this offseason with targets like Ohtani and Yamamoto. If the Giants do end up signing Ohtani, they are probably out on Chapman and signing Yamamoto may make such a move tough. However, if they miss on one or both of those guys, expect San Francisco's pursuit of Chapman as well as Cody Bellinger to heat up considerably.