It has been a bit of a disappointing year overall for the San Francisco Giants with about a week to go in the regular season.
Despite the Giants hovering around the .500 mark this season, they were never really in the playoff hunt in the competitive National League.
As they try to finish up the campaign strong, the last month of the season has likely been used to evaluate what the plan for the team moving forward is going to be. During the season, San Francisco started it by signing third baseman Matt Chapman to a contract extension.
Chapman actually signed a deal with the Giants in the offseason, but it was a one-year deal with player options that he was certainly going to decline after the strong campaign he was having. The veteran third baseman is not only a good hitter, but he is also an excellent fielder. That aspect of the game can sometimes be overlooked, but the slugger is really the complete package.
Recently, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN spoke about the signing of Chapman being the biggest success for the franchise this year.
“Biggest success: The signing of Matt Chapman paid off, and boy did the Giants need it. It paid off in the form of an All-Star caliber season, arguably the best by a Giants third baseman since the days of John McGraw. Even better: Chapman signed an extension that stabilizes at least one spot on the field for a few years.”
This campaign, Chapman has certainly been the best player on the Giants, and it really isn’t close. So far in 2024, the veteran has a 6.9 WAR, which is the highest on the team by a significant margin. The next closest player in that category is shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald at 2.9.
As the year wraps up and San Francisco prepares for the offseason, they certainly have a cornerstone player in Chapman in the hot corner. Also, Fitzgerald, alongside him at shortstop, is an encouraging young player. In the outfielder, Heliot Ramos has had an excellent offensive season, and he will be considering a key player moving forward as well.
The Giants haven’t been afraid to spend money in free agency, and they will have the opportunity to try and lure another star to the Bay Area. However, it was a wise decision for the franchise to lock up their third baseman long-term, as he has certainly proven him.
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