Giants have had 'active dialogue' with Matt Chapman ahead of free agency

Amid a bounce-back campaign in orange and black, Matt Chapman and the San Francisco Giants have "had conversations" and "active dialogue" on a potential long-term deal, team president Farhan Zaidi told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Scott Boras, Chapman's agent, broke the news to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday, providing the latest update on the situation.

"We let them know that Matt plays well in San Francisco, plays well in the Bay Area.” Boras also told Slusser. “Certainly we are interested in listening to what they have to say.”

The four-time Gold Glover inked a one-year, $18 million contract in March that includes a $17 million player option in 2025, an $18 million player option in 2026 and a mutual option for $20 million in 2027.

Giants bringing back Matt Chapman would be a complete slam dunk for both parties

Star third baseman Chapman experienced a rocky beginning to his time as a Giant. He bounced back in a big way though. The defensive specialist has pieced together his best season, in terms of WAR (wins above replacement), since his All-Star campaign in 2019 with the Oakland Athletics, per Baseball Reference.

Currently, he is slashing .243/.332/.438, good for a .770 OPS. Champan's 116 hits are 15 more than any other Giant, while his 62 RBI are tied with Heliot Ramos for the team lead.

Given he has been one of the Giants' most productive players, Chapman is expected to opt out of the contract to test free agency in search of more guaranteed money. With that, San Francisco will attempt to get him to put pen to paper before he has a chance to test the market once again.

Having spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, he's now back in familiar territory for his sixth professional season in the Bay Area. His return to the West Coast has turned out to be a natural fit.

This could be one of San Francisco's largest investments since they hired Zaidi as president of baseball operations during the 2018-19 offseason. The Canadian has handed out just one nine-figure deal -- the six-year, $113 million agreement with the 2022 KBO League Most Valuable Player, Jung Hoo Lee. That's the kind of deal Champan will be aiming to strike with the West Coast ball club.

Chapman confirmed his interest in staying put last week.

"I love being here and they know that I want to be here," Chapman recently told The Mercury News' Evan Webeck. "They know that I’m open to that. I’m kind of just waiting on them.”

Only the Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez has been more valuable at third base than Chapman, dating back to May 1. In a recent contest against the Chicago White Sox, the California native launched his 20th home run of the 2024 season -- his fifth such campaign with 20-plus blasts.