No one is more upset about Matt Chapman's Giants extension than the Astros

The San Francisco Giants scratched star Matt Chapman from the lineup late on Wednesday, making fans and the media assume an injured list stint could be on the horizon. However, it turns out Chapman's absence wasn't injury-related at all. Rather, the elusive free-agent signing took 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 cornerstone at third base. His six-year, $151 million extension reflects that, and while Chapman wasn't able to get that sort of money on the open market last year in part thanks to a very slow winter from baseball executives, the Giants rewarded his patience in a big way late this week.

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Matt Chapman contract details and grade for San Francisco Giants

The Giants will not make the playoffs in 2024, barring a miraculous late-season run. However, Chapman's agreement goes beyond this season, and marks another star willing to sign in San Francisco -- a feat that has proven surprisingly tough in recent offseasons.

The Giants struck out on the likes of Shohei Ohtani, northern California native Aaron Judge and even Carlos Correa thanks to a faulty physical. Chapman is not as capable as the former two sluggers -- and few are across MLB -- but he's an All-Star caliber player at a tough position. This season at the hot corner, Chapman has slashed .247/.333/.445 for an OPS of .778. On the season, he has 22 home runs, which is already an eight-home run surplus from 2023. Chapman has won two platinum gloves and is one of the best defensive third basemen in the sport.

Grade the contract: B+

Houston Astros miss an opportunity with Matt Chapman

Before signing his extension, Chapman had an opt-out in his current deal which would have made him a free agent this winter. Chapman would have been one of the best available infielders on the market again, which would've played into the hand of Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown.

Alex Bregman is scheduled to be one of those free agents. He and Bregman are just a year apart in age, and the former is a little cheaper and a better defensive player. Bregman is a franchise cornerstone in his own right, but with one less option available, the Astros lose a lot of leverage.

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