SF Giants seen as 'best fit' to land slick-fielding third baseman according to MLB insider

The SF Giants have been connected to third baseman Matt Chapman for a long time in free agency. Not only does he have a connection to manager Bob Melvin and third base coach Matt Williams from his time with the A's, but he also brings stellar defense to a team that needs it.

SF Giants seen as 'best fit' to land slick-fielding third baseman according to MLB insider

The connection between the two was made yet again by MLB.com writer Mark Feinsand. He wrote that the Giants seem to make the most sense among all of Chapman's suitors, which may also include the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees.

Of course, it is important to note that it does not seem Feinsand is going off of any inside knowledge here. This seems to be the same sort of reporting that Feinsand employed with the Giants being linked to Shōta Imanaga. He quoted a source that claimed "it's all pointing" towards the Giants getting Imanaga. No one bats 1.000 in this business but that was a pretty bad miss by Feinsand.

This is just another instance of a reporter using common sense and coming to the conclusion that a player would make sense on the Giants. Not exactly using Caped Crusader techniques over there.

However, despite all of the reporting and the fact that likely no reporter knows exactly what is going on behind the scenes, Chapman truly would make sense on the Giants. His defense is phenomenal and it would help shore up the left side of the infield with shortstop being a question mark due to Marco Luciano's youth and inexperience.

His bat is a bit more questionable especially after he cooled off considerably last season following a hot start at the plate. He is still an above-average hitter. There is no doubt about that and he has a strong enough batted-ball profile to suggest that he could remain a good hitter as he ages.

The argument against the Giants signing Chapman is that he might not be worth the five-year investment it would likely take to land him. He will be expensive, and the Giants currently have a much more affordable option at third base in J.D. Davis who provides similar production with the bat and improved greatly on defense last season.

No matter what, the SF Giants will likely continue to be linked to Chapman until he signs a contract. The 32-year-old is a well-rounded player and if the Giants want to bolster infield defense, it is hard to find a better alternative.