Earlier this month, the Giants and All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman agreed to a six-year, $151 million contract extension. Given the Giants' relative inability to land big-name free agents to long-term deals in recent years, it felt like a good step for the organization. Namely, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi got the job done here.
Only it sounds like he didn't.
On the behalf of ownership, executive board member and three-time Giants World Series champion Buster Posey took over negotiations with Chapman himself as frustration grew over the "lack of immediate progress" between Zaidi and agent Scott Boras, according to The Athletic. Among the reported concerns? A full no-trade clause for Chapman, which Zaidi was apparently reluctant to hand out. More from The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly:
Sources interviewed for this story were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor about topics they were not authorized to address publicly. They described an ownership group that valued Chapman's shining work ethic as much as his steady contributions on the field, that viewed the 31-year-old as someone who could instill both continuity as well as a culture change, and that was adamant to avoid a repeat of last offseason, when a standoff between the Giants and Boras lasted until mid-March.
It was an ownership group that viewed re-signing Chapman as a slam dunk — and did not trust Zaidi and Boras to finish at the rim.
This sure doesn't sound like good news for Zaidi.
In November of 2018, Zaidi was hired as Giants president of baseball operations. In 2021, the Giants won 107 games, which was one of the best regular-season records in baseball history. They were bounced in the NLDS, however, and that season looks like an outlier. They didn't have a winning record under Zaidi before that season and went 81-81 the next year, followed by 79-83 in 2023. They are 72-77 this season and will soon be eliminated from playoff contention.
Such a track record with a club that won three World Series toward the start of the previous decade would leave an executive on shaky ground anyway, but the way the Chapman extension reportedly went down along with the way the executive board apparently feels about the president of baseball operations doesn't sound great for Zaidi.
