San Francisco Giants Hoping to Extend Veteran Star
![Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3954,h_2224,x_0,y_130/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j57gw9rmga3n7re4ar.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants have had an up-and-down 2024 MLB season so far. At this point in time, they hold a 61-60 record and are hoping to make a run down the stretch at a playoff spot.
Matt Chapman has been a big part of keeping them in a position to compete for a postseason berth. Even at 31 years old, he is playing some of his best baseball.
With that in mind, the Giants would like to find a way to keep him long-term. A contract extension sounds like something they would like to get done with him if possible.
MLB insider Jon Heyman made an appearance on MLB Network on Tuesday and stated that he thinks Chapman will be looking for a new deal this offseason.
He predicted that Chapman will opt out to test free agency and also predicted that San Francisco will try to extend him to keep him.
"I think there's no question that he will opt out. The question there is whether the Giants will try and extend him, and they will make that effort. They tried once before, and they will try again."
During the course of the 2024 MLB season, Chapman has played in 118 games. He has hit 19 home runs to go along with 60 RBI, while batting .247/.335/.446.
Those numbers show exactly why the Giants don't want to let him get away.
Looking ahead to the future, San Francisco wants to get back to being a legitimate World Series contender. In order to do that, they will need to be aggressive.
Keeping their own talent and then adding from the outside will be a must.
Chapman will be a major key for the upcoming offseason. There are quite a few teams around the league that would love to add his bat.
It will be interesting to see what ends up happening with Chapman and the Giants. Should he end up leaving, San Francisco would need to find a way to replace him. However, their plan is clearly to not let him walk away in free agency.
Expect to see a long list of teams with interest in signing Chapman if he does opt out.
The Giants are going to have a lot of competition, but the relationship between the two parties seems solid. They'll have a good shot at keeping him around long-term.