MLB Insider: Grading the Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler signings for Giants

The San Francisco Giants have big-game hunted the last few offseasons, targeting Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper and Carlos Correa, among others. They came up empty. And the frustration among Giants fans reached a boiling point.

Which is why this offseason was crucial for Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi not to lose the fanbase. For the first couple months of the winter, it appeared it was headed that way as the rival Los Angeles Dodgers spent over $1.2 billion to add Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez and others.

Then the Giants added Jorge Soler. Then Matt Chapman. They added Robbie Ray, a former Cy Young Award winner who isn’t expected back until midseason, in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. Then on Monday night, they signed reigning Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to a two-year, $62 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season.

Signing both Snell and Chapman was perhaps the steals of the offseason, and had rival agents and executives praising the deal for Zaidi and the Giants. And both deals, along with Soler, solidified the Giants’ case as perhaps the second-best team in a loaded National League West.

Blake Snell

The terms – two years, $62 million – are a steal. Combined with the fact that he will reportedly earn $15 million in 2024, with a $17 million signing bonus due Jan. 2026, and it’s the best deal this offseason for a team. And perhaps the worst from a player perspective.

“All-time misread of the market on Snell,” one agent said. “(Scott Boras) cost him over a *literal* hundred million dollars.”

Grade: A+

Matt Chapman

Chapman was one of the players who I was unsure of coming off an up-and-down season, and his three-year, $54 million contract with two opt-outs reflected that teams felt a similar way.

Still, signing Chapman for $20 million in 2024 is a coup. In all likelihood, it will be a one-year deal and I’m of the belief that there is no such thing as a bad one-year contract. Chapman also goes back to the Bay Area, a place where he’s comfortable, and reunites with a manager in Bob Melvin in which he has a good relationship.

Grade: B

Jorge Soler

One thing that the Giants’ lineup has lacked in recent years is pop. They have not had an established power hitter since … Barry Bonds?

No, I’m not calling Soler the next Bonds. But what I’m saying is that Soler fills a gigantic need for the Giants and adds an established hitter in the middle of the order. That will make the jobs easier for the young players. It will make the jobs easier for the veteran players. It will make the jobs easier for everyone. 

And on a three-year, $42 million contract, it’s a deal that the Giants would do every time.

Grade: B+

Verdict for the San Francisco Giants offseason

This was a make-or-break offseason for Zaidi and the Giants. On the surface, it appears that the team hit a home run, and finally got fans off their backs for continually missing out on big-name players. Now, they have a roster and manager in Bob Melvin that should be competitive in the National League.

Grade: A-