No one is more upset about Matt Chapman’s contract extension with the Giants than the Astros

The San Francisco Giants held star Matt Chapman out of the lineup Wednesday night, leading fans and media alike to believe that a trip to injured reserve might be on the horizon. However, it turns out Chapman’s absence wasn’t injury-related at all. Instead, the elusive free agent signed underwent a physical, in part to sign a six-year contract extension that will keep Chapman in San Francisco well beyond the 2024 season.

Chapman is, by all accounts, a franchise pillar at third base. His six-year, $151 million contract extension is a testament to that, and while Chapman wasn’t able to command that kind of money on the open market last year, partly because of a very slow winter from baseball’s management, the Giants rewarded his patience in a big way this weekend.

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The Giants won’t make the playoffs in 2024 unless they have a miraculous run late in the season. However, Chapman’s deal extends beyond this season and signals another star’s willingness to sign with San Francisco — a feat that has proven surprisingly difficult in recent offseasons.

The Giants cut Shohei Ohtani, Northern California native Aaron Judge and even Carlos Correa because of a bad physical. Chapman isn’t as capable as those two former sluggers — and few are in all of MLB — but he’s an All-Star caliber player at a tough position. This season at cornerback, Chapman is hitting .247/.333/.445 for a .778 OPS. He has 22 home runs on the season, which is already eight home runs ahead of 2023. Chapman is a two-time Platinum Glove winner and is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game.

Rate the contract: B+

Before signing his extension, Chapman had an opt-out clause in his current contract that would have made him a free agent this offseason. Chapman would have been one of the best infielders available on the market again, which would have worked in Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown’s favor.

Alex Bregman should be one of those free agents. He and Bregman are only a year apart in age, and the former is a bit cheaper and a better defensive player. Bregman is a franchise pillar in his own right, but with one less option available, the Astros are losing a lot of leverage.

So far, Houston hasn’t had productive discussions with Bregman, a two-time All-Star and World Series champion who this year has an OPS similar to Chapman’s without the defensive pedigree to match.