3 players set to benefit most from Giants-Matt Chapman massive contract extension
The San Francisco Giants made a huge deal late Wednesday night by agreeing to a six-year, $151 million contract extension with third baseman Matt Chapman. The deal wipes out the final two years of Chapman’s current contract he signed with the Giants this past offseason and keeps him in San Francisco until 2030.
While this deal is obviously great for the Giants, who locked up one of the best two-way third baseman in baseball and Chapman, who gets the type of contract he was looking for this past offseason after betting on himself and signing a shorter-term deal, there are some significant ripple effects across baseball.
Here are the three players set to benefit the most from Chapman’s extension with the Giants.
1. Alex Bregman
© Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
The biggest winner after the Chapman extension is Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. With Chapman officially off the market, Bregman instantly becomes the clear best available option at third base. With Bregman on a tear as of late, he was already expected to be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason.
Now, Bregman will be able to create a bidding war between teams looking for an upgrade at third base in free agency. Some of those teams could be the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, in addition to the Astros who will likely look to re-sign Bregman.
Bregman is a year younger than Chapman and offers more flexibility, having started 107 games in his career at shortstop and even a few at second base. A fellow client of agent Scott Boras, he should be able to easily match, if not exceed the six-year, $151 figure that Chapman received from the Giants.
2. Eugenio Suarez
© Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
After Bregman, Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez is the next-best, and the only other potential free agent who could be a viable option to start at third base for a contending team. Not including the shortened 2020 season, Suarez is in the midst of his eighth straight season with at least 20 home runs. While he may not be the flashiest of names, the 33-year-old Suarez has shown that he is one of the most consistent power bats in baseball.
However, Suarez currently has a $15 million team option on the table this offseason. Heading into the season, it was not clear whether or not Suarez would perform well enough for the Diamondbacks to be willing to agree to that. Now, it seems like the Diamondbacks do not have much of a choice.
For Suarez, the two scenarios are either staying in Arizona on that team option, or if the decide to let him enter free agency he will be one of the biggest commodities due to the lack of available free agent third baseman and the amount of teams that could use an upgrade at the hot corner.
3. Cody Bellinger
© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
While Chicago Cubs outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger is not a factor in the third base market, he is still a huge winner after the Chapman extension. Bellinger was a member of the infamous “Boras Four,” along with Chapman, Giants pitcher Blake Snell and Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who did not sign with a team until much later than expected this past offseason.
Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs on a similar deal that Chapman did, a three-year deal with opt outs after the first and second seasons. Bellinger has not quite matched the incredible season he had in 2023, but he has still performed well enough for the Cubs to consider offering him a long-term extension or for another team to be willing to offer him a long-term contract this offseason.
While there was some trepidation about whether or not Boras could continue to get his clients the best offers that were available, the Chapman extension put those worries to rest. If he was able to secure this type of money for Chapman, he should be able to secure a similar level of long-term security for Bellinger.
The post 3 players set to benefit most from Giants-Matt Chapman massive contract extension appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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