SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Chapman has turned down at least two nine-figure contract offers over the course of his career, so the Giants’ third baseman has shown a proclivity to bet on himself, and he’s earned the right again this offseason with his exceptional introduction in orange and black.
Chapman’s as-advertised defense, consistent presence in the lineup and improved power stroke have made him the third-most valuable player in the National League this season, according to Baseball-Reference, meaning it’s a good bet that the 31-year-old exercises his right to opt out and seek a new contract this winter.
The Giants would reportedly like to solidify Chapman’s future in San Francisco, and the third baseman confirmed the interest is mutual.
“That’s not really my focus right now; my focus is on trying to make the playoffs,” Chapman said from his locker Thursday morning. “But the Giants, I love being here and they know that I want to be here. They know that I’m open to that. I’m kind of just waiting on them.”
The contract Chapman signed March 3 included player options for $17 million in 2025 and $18 million in 2026 and a mutual option for $20 million in 2027 but only guaranteed him a $16 million salary plus a $2 million signing bonus for this season. It stands to reason that Chapman would try to maximize his market value and seek something in the realm of the five-year, $125 million contract he reportedly turned down from Toronto last offseason.
The New York Post reported last week that the Giants were “expected to broach (the) subject” of a long-term extension, though Chapman said neither he nor agent Scott Boras has received a formal offer from the team.
“Nothing yet,” Chapman said. “But they know that I’m open and willing to listen to any offer that they have to make.”
The stance is not necessarily anything new from Southern California native and former player of Bob Melvin’s in Oakland. In his first days of spring training, Chapman said he hoped the initial agreement that reunited him with his former manager in San Francisco was “just the first step of a long tenure with the Giants.” But it is notable given his bounceback season and the interest it is expected to generate were he to hit the free-agent market again this winter.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic named the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Houston Astros as potential suitors for Chapman and fellow third baseman Alex Bregman, who is also a pending free agent.
In 120 games, Chapman has already surpassed his home run total in 140 games last season in Toronto and is outpacing himself in almost every offensive category. His .246 batting average, .337 on-base percentage and .443 slugging percentage are all the best figures Chapman has posted since he left Oakland.
“I don’t think I was as comfortable maybe in Toronto the last couple years as I am here,” Chapman said. “Sometimes your environment has a lot to do with that, and it’s just a good environment for me. I definitely enjoy playing on the West Coast. And playing for BoMel, I’m comfortable.”
Chapman’s 5.6 bWAR places him behind only Shohei Ohtani and Ketel Marte, the two National League MVP front-runners, but the Giants will enter their weekend series in Oakland with no better than a .500 record after dropping their past four games to the Braves and Tigers.
With the A’s moving to Sacramento after this season, the two games will represent the final iteration of the Bay Bridge rivalry — and the final time stepping foot in the Coliseum for Melvin, Chapman and Mark Canha, a trio that spent about half a decade together on the other side of the Bay.
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Returning to the setting he spent the first five years of his career, Chapman said, will be “definitely emotional.”
“A lot of good memories, a lot of years of my life spent there,” he said. “I always enjoy going back and I’ll always remember my time there and look back and feel happy about it.
“I just feel for those guys over there. They don’t know what their deal is next year. That’s got to be frustrating, not knowing where you’re going to play or if you’re going to play in a Triple-A stadium. There’s just always something with that organization.”
Some of his teammates suggested that he take the third-base bag as a personal keepsake, but Chapman was hesitant to make that quest public.
Because, he joked, “They might try to charge me for it.”
