As the San Francisco Giants look ahead to the offseason, should they prioritize moving on from some of their higher-priced players?
One columnist says that should be the team’s top priority, with one player in particular singled out.
Matt Chapman Labeled as ‘Most Preferable’ Player to Trade
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller identified each team’s “most likely” trade in the upcoming offseason. Miller named several of San Francisco’s highest-paid players but singled out third baseman Matt Chapman as the one the team should most prioritize.
“The Giants still owe Rafael Devers $211M for seven more seasons, Willy Adames $140M for five more seasons, Matt Chapman $100M for four more seasons and Jung Hoo Lee $63M for three more seasons (if he doesn’t opt out of his final two years next winter),” Miller wrote. “Getting out from under at least one of those contracts—Chapman’s would arguably be most preferable—is going to be the offseason goal for a team that has made the postseason just once in the past decade.”
The next question is: how plausible would it be to move on from Chapman?
Trading Chapman Would Be Easier Said Than Done
It’s easy to see why moving on would be considered a priority. That said, several factors complicate things.
The biggest possible roadblock is Chapman’s no-trade clause. If Chapman, a California native who has played most of his career in the Bay Area, doesn’t want to be traded, he won’t be. With a full no-trade clause, Chapman would have to sign off on any deal. The same is true for Willy Adames, as well.
But even if the Giants can convince Chapman to sign off on a trade, the rest of his contract complicates matters. Chapman is owed more than $25 million a year through the 2030 season. And while that’s a reasonable contract for a top-tier player, Chapman has not been that for the last two seasons.
Chapman made a strong first impression in his first year with the Giants. He posted a .247/.328/.463 slash line, hit 27 home runs, had a 7.1 bWAR, won a Gold Glove and finished 11th in National League MVP voting in 2024. The last two seasons, though, have been a much different story.
Over the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Chapman slashed .233/.334/.405, hit a combined 28 home runs and missed a total of 112 games. The 2026 season was a particular struggle. Injuries limited Chapman to only 86 games. In that time, he slashed at just .235/.324/.368, adding only 7 home runs.
Plenty of teams will pay $25 million for an MVP candidate. But convincing a team to take on a declining player in his mid-30s who’s owed $25 million over each of the next four seasons? That wouldn’t be easy for the Giants.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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