San Francisco’s reported agreement with third baseman Matt Chapman last night added an elite defender and quality hitter to a lineup that’s already added Jung Hoo Lee and Jorge Soler this winter as the Giants look to bolster their offense after posting a 93 wRC+ as a team last year, which was a bottom-ten figure in the majors. With that being said, the deal seemingly leaves another veteran bat without a clear home in J.D. Davis.
Davis, 31 next month, is set to hit free agency after the 2024 campaign and seems unlikely to find a regular role in San Francisco this season with Soler at DH, Chapman at the hot corner, and LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores expected to handle first base. That reality could spur the Giants to make a trade in the near future, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The veteran infielder hit a roughly league average .248/.325/.413 in 144 games with the Giants last year, but had established himself as a well-above average bat in the four years prior to the 2023 campaign, slashing .276/.363/.457 with a 127 wRC+ during that time. That upside could make Davis an attractive target for a team lacking in certainty at the infield corners, such as the Cubs, Mariners, or Brewers, potentially allowing the club to shed his $6.9MM salary and free up additional payroll space for a possible pursuit of southpaw Blake Snell.
For Davis’s part, he told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) that the club’s decision to sign Chapman was “definitely surprising,” adding that he hadn’t communicated with the front office regarding the decision of his future to this point before referencing the club’s handling of veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford during his final year with the club and free agency this winter.
“I didn’t get a phone call, Brandon Crawford didn’t get a phone call,” Davis said, as relayed by Rubin. “It is what it is. It’s part of the business. I know every management is different in how they handle things and that’s just one of the characteristics you just have to live with.”
More from around San Francisco…
- While Crawford recently expressed disappointment regarding how his tenure in San Francisco ended, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that no such acrimony exists between the club and slugger Joc Pederson, who departed the club to sign with the Diamondbacks earlier this winter. While Pederson told Slusser that he retains a strong relationship with both president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and that the Giants even made him an offer this winter, though he added that Arizona “expressed more interest” and presented him with a stronger offer. Pederson spent the past two seasons playing for San Francisco, slashing a strong .255/.351/.470 in 255 games with the club across the two campaigns.
- Shortstop Nick Ahmed recently spoke to reported, including The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, regarding his decision to sign with the Giants on a non-roster deal this spring. The two-time Gold Glove award winner had spent parts of ten seasons with the Diamondbacks prior to becoming a free agent for the first time in his career back in September, and the soon to be 34-year-old veteran indicated that while he had some conversations with the Cardinals this winter before they signed Crawford to a one-year deal last month. With that being said, Ahmed indicated that he was enticed to sign in San Francisco when Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin indicated to him that he would have the opportunity the everyday job at shortstop with the club this spring. A career .234/.288/.376 hitter, Ahmed has made up for a lack of offensive production throughout his career with elite defensive numbers and figures to battle with youngsters Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt for the shortstop job throughout the final month of Spring Training.
I like Davis, but he’s not at the “get a phone call when we sign your replacement” level yet, and he likely won’t ever be. I’m much more comfortable shipping him out if that’s his attitude.
JD Davis sure has a lot of “expert” opinions on team building and management, for a guy who’s spent his whole career as a spare part, afterthought and RH bench bat.
Entitlement. Grow some thick skin, the game is brutal and he’s making 6.9 million dollars in his final year of arbitration he can wipe those tears with hundred dollars bills.
JD: I’m sorry you weren’t consulted before the team decided to sign an elite third baseman which impacts you— an over glorified bench player who just costs the team runs.
I guess that’s the nature of the organization? Did the Cubs contact their scrub 1B before Bellinger was signed?
I don’t get that stuff. Am I glib?
Cubs CF was stoked on Bellinger signing. He can cook in the oven in Iowa for a bit longer.
NO one is truly happy when their replacement is signed. A five minute call to the agent is all it takes on the JD situation. Minor league guys hate it even more, because they may never get a chance.
PCA was the replacement. Bellinger incumbent. Everyone seemed to know CUBS wanted Belli but were waiting.
JD Davis sounds like he’s pouting; employees of a company rarely get to approve or veto with whom they work. Maybe this explains why JD has been on so many teams and mostly gets traded instead of becoming a core piece. Ask Tommy “smackdown” Pham how many good opportunities his big mouth has cost him.
A key difference is that Bellinger was already a Cub. This isn’t a case of bringing back a teammate they thought was going to leave, it’s bringing someone new in to take over your primary position for the past 1.5 years
if a month ago Schmitt knew Chapman was probably going to sign, Davis saying he was unaware is BS.
Davis knew then too. He mentioned something I saw about competing for playing time while they were at college together.
I’m not saying Davis had no idea or that he should have felt blindsided. I’m just saying that it’s not perfectly analogous to Bellinger re-signing with the Cubs, that’s all
You know what, he did. He even talked about Chapman sliding over to short. Like Crawford, Davis’s ego is clouding his comments. Unquestionably, Chapman + Luciano > Davis + Crawford. And really, that’s all there is to it. Everything else is agenda.
Don’t over-glorify Chapman, a previously elite defensive 3B (now just good) who was among the worst regular hitters in baseball for the last four months of 2023.
But still managed to crack the top 5 for 3b in WAR lol. Maybe if he actually hit he’d be a top 3. But he’s getting what he deserves. Less than Kris Bryant which Chapman has a better HR/AB ratio. not much more than LeMahieu who has 6 years played more than Chapman but a less over career WAR. Devers, Arenado and Machado didn’t compare to Chapman in 23. If Chapman didn’t slump the 2nd half who knows where he would be.
To be fair his bat went silent months prior to his finger injury, and his 2022 was nothing to brag about either.
Yea im a jays fan and didn’t want him back BUT he has 20+ HR power every season and he is the best AL 3b defensively and if not hes close. Even as he ages he shouldnt fall of massively in defense for the next 3-5 year so id expect him to be in the top half for sure on defense for 3b for that span. And before some1 says he hit 17HR this year, yes he did but without that finger injury i guarantee he would have hit 20. For this team who had a 93 wrc+ last year even he was better then that AND had elite D
Nah.. You’re Lib.
splinkysf — Davis was not “an over glorified bench player who just costs the team runs.” You’re too easy with that stuff behind a keyboard.
Are you basing your comments on analytics? He overachieved in ‘22 for SF and I was really excited. He overachieved to start ‘23 and I was excited that a bench guy given a chance was overperforming. But he ultimately regressed to what he is.
He totally has a role as a significant contributor for a team. He should be a right handed IF depth piece. If he is your starting 3B making $7m, you are allocating resources and talent in the wrong spots.
Particularly for abusing throwing rotation, the value of a subpar defensive IF plummets your team. The value of Chapman who I don’t think is amazing is really exemplified when playing for a team with our makeup.
Am I drafting Chapman in fantasy? No.
Am I finding him to be a significant piece to making the left side of the field and relaxing Luciano at SS and having his power do more at Oracle than at most parks (which I know sounds nuts but is true)? ABSOLUTELY
Unless he is injured and sits, he will opt out for a bigger contract next year, preserving our flexibility to go after Bregman or give the job to Schmidt if he’s made strides.
This is an absolute no brainer great signing. And who knows, shedding JD’s bloated salary may afford them to make a bigger move to bolster the rotation than expected.
JD- solid righty depth piece. Not more.
Players when they leave the organization that drafted and developed them to sign a contract for $500K more with the Dodgers: “Its a business”
Players when they get cut/released when the organization finds a better option: “but I didnt even get a phone call :(“
Why would they call Davis before they have even announced the Chapman signing ?
As of now it’s still just an unverified Haymen story. I’m suspect until SFG acknowledges it, after all it’s Haymen.
Matt Chapman is thwarting JD Davis at every turn. Chappy taking JDs lunch money & the 3rd base job going all the way back to their Cal St Fullerton days. JD seems pretty chapped. He better buck up, this is the big leagues.
Don’t care about media drama they’re usually wrong or sensationalized. Unfortunately it’s found out later but swept under the rug.
I guess Davis hadn’t heard about the Giants interest in Chapman for the entire offseason and every talking heads assumption that SF was the best fit
Sure would be curious to know what they offered Joc, after just paying him almost 20 million to be a platoon DH who wasn’t much better than the average hitter.
David thinking he’s something special hahahahahaha!!! You’re not on that level bud!
I’m sure Harrison Bader is asking his agent what the deal is that NYY brought in Juan Soto without discussing his future with him
That’s like JD Martinez going to the media expressing disappointment that LA didn’t consult with him before signing Ohtani to handle DH and SP
Comparing Chapman to Ohtani? LMMFAO
I’m glad you understand allegory and hyperbole
Martinez was already a free agent at the time.
I bet Dan Ortmeyer was “disappointed in the organization” not to get a phone call when he heard JT Snow was signed to take over 1B
“With that being said, Ahmed indicated that he was enticed to sign in San Francisco when Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin indicated to him that he would have the opportunity the everyday job at shortstop with the club this spring.”
And “opportunity” is the key word.
As the Giants tighten their defense, it might not be a surprise that Ahmed is San Francisco’s starting ss. Nothing suggests Luciano will stick at ss (even if he hits) and Casey Schmitt will get plenty of chances with his glove; he will, one day, be an everyday player, either at ss or 3b.
Schmitt will never be an everyday player unless he changes his approach at the plate. Until he starts making more frequent contact, and learns not to swing at sliders/sweepers off the plate, and curveballs in the dirt, maybe he’ll find some ML playing time.
Hayden Birdsong
JD Davis
Joey Bart
For
Edward Cabrera
Who’s says no?
Despite the proverbial small sample Bart is hitting this Spring.
Hah. Not even if you upgraded from Birdsong to Whisenhunt. No one’s trading pitching at this stage unless they can backfill with a free agent, and that’s not Miami.
Sounds good. Giants eat Some of Davis contract and leave Birdsong out. Or swap Bart and Davis for Trevor Rogers
Pitched 18 innings in 2023.
that was my trade idea in the other post/comment section lol! I’d do it
I’d rather Braxton Garrett.
Marlins say no all day long.
I don’t think JD was asking, nor should he expect, to be consulted about the Chapman signing. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be given a call to let him know. It’s about treating people with respect. Crawford is similar. His time was up with the Giants, it may be hard to hear and not what he wanted, but that is the way it is. But he has earned respect. That respect is being honestly told that the team is moving in a different direction. Being told that he can compete as a nonroster invitee is not showing respect, everyone knew that wasn’t going to happen, it was just a cop out to not say the hard thing. I don’t know what the Giants’ front office reputation is now, but players talk, and I would think the Giants would want to have a reputation of treating players and all employees with respect. Now maybe they do, and the Crawford situation and this one are aberrations, or not fully reported, but being seen as ab organization that doesn’t treat players with respect is going to make it harder, not easier, to sign players.
Crawford has been awful, and injured since signing his 2/32 contract. A lot of fans expected him to retire, but he didn’t.
Fact is he has no place anymore on the giants. He’s only ever played shortstop, and they’re hoping Luciano can take the reins there. He after all, has been a top 100 prospect for years, even multiple top 25. They have to find out what they have w him
And people forget that before Crawford had that resurgent 2021 season he was pretty awful the two years before (2019 & 2020).
You had me at “I don’t think”.
Respect? Overpaid underperforming players should show respect for the team that’s paying their ridiculous salaries. This childish selfish behavior not only makes the organization look bad, it’s self-destructive behavior because other teams won’t want a spoiled ungrateful brat. The good news is Davis will be shipped off as soon as they can find a taker.
JD Davis is a career bench player. Why should he be informed? He’s lucky to have a roster spot lol. Dudes like him have no say in the clubhouse
Cool: my initial ‘take’ was that the majority of comments would be the usual Zaidi-bashers…siding with “look at me-me-ME” Davis…and yet Not One post supported this resident prima donna.(though 2-3 were somewhat anti-management/pro-player).. Hope they trade his ass to free up $ for a (desperately needed) starter: or two. Bye-bye, Mr. JD Davis!
Chapman….Meh. Who cares?
Dude is 7 hole hitter in a proper line up. Jay’s batted him 7th after Varsho. Ouch
He can pick it at 3rd. But his numbers at the plate were almost exactly like JD Davis. And the Giants were an awful hitting team last year. League last i Runs scored, SLUG and OPS
I thought the same thing til I dug deeper. Chapman was nearly elite in hard contact, barreling, and all those other new stats. He was also nursing a nagging injury. So there is some hope he has a resurgence this season.
Varsho who cares about his .670 ops .220 BA lol. Chapman had a 4.2 WAR in 23 not 1 giants hitter was close.
Ha ha. There’s a bit to unpack there.
JD not happy. Well if he wasn’t being traded before…..
I wonder if Farhan will even bother letting JD know he got traded, or if he’s going to find out from an MLB site about it lol
It’s understandable. No hard feelings here. Local guy. Has reportedly worked hard. I imagine his strong preference is to stay and be the 3b guy. You are going to be disappointed.
“it makes us better” is probably the optimal statement but humans be humans.
Crazy how fast they have moved on from Posey
He retired, not much choice but to move on. Bringing him back as part of the ownership group wasn’t exactly moving on from him.
He would have played longer if they sweetened the deal enough
that would’ve been nice but Buster was ready to retire, it was no secret..plus the Giants had the all-mighty Joey Bart next in line..
I had been watching Bart up here in Sacramento, I live across from the park so I went to a lot games. I wasn’t sold that I was watching the next Buster Posey.
I thought he had a year left on his contract, his last deal ran from 2013 to 2022, and he retired after the 2021 season. I believe he walked away from a big paycheck in 2022.
He would have kept playing for 45 mil a year
I used to live in Sac, that area around Sutter Health park is developing nicely..I loved going to Drake’s the Barn, awesome beer and establishment there..
Yeah, it’s a nice area. I can walk to Golden 1 too. It’s a nice spot to live in.
Stop, he was never going to be offered that much. But test it would have been nice to see him stick around another year or two.
Owensboro — And you know this how? That’s not at all how Posey explained his retirement. If you’re going to make statements, better to do some research first.
@Owensboro: Clueless take
“He would have played longer”…I believe the Giants gave Posey the largest contract any catcher has ever gotten. You can call the Giants inept, but you cannot call them cheap because they tend to reward good homegrown players and at times overpay them.
Owensboro, Posey made more in his investments than he did as a player. His reasons for retiring had zero to do with money. He was concerned about his multiple concussions, and his he felt obligations to of the needy children they adopted. Posey wasn’t coming back for $100M.
Posey earned the right to retire when he wanted to. Now, he’s a shot caller for the Giants, and his future on the other side of the game looks bright.
For 50 mil a year plus a stake in ownership he would have
Lots of mischaracterization going on here. Davis isn’t mad the Giants didn’t inform him about the Chapman signing, he is simply saying the front office isn’t communicating with its current players about the teams plans specifically regarding them. The team hasn’t told Davis what their plans for Davis are, just like they didn’t tell Crawford what their plans for him were. Davis isn’t expecting to be informed of positional plans, just plans specific to him. And yes, most teams communicate with their players under contract. Farhan is a terrible GM who should never of left the scout room.
Crawford should have understood his time in the org was up last year when he was given a sendoff at the end of the season where his contract was up. Maybe if he was better over the last 2 years he would have been given a low cost deal to mentor Luciano, but he was a straight up liability and the Giants aren’t talented enough to carry negative value players on the roster for mentorship purposes.
Businesses don’t run like that. The owners/employers don’t need to consult with their employees about every business decision. This isn’t a democracy, it’s a for-profit business for which the players are paid handsomely. Frankly, it’s none of their business what the owners do. Just pipe down and play as hard as you can.
Didn’t JD say something about not being worried about Chapman a few months back in the sf chronicle?
Yes
I think the Giants need to figure out what to do with Davis and Bart who seems to be a bit forgotten right now.
It’s Marco Luciano time and we’re gonna enjoy every minute of this kid.
Looks pretty overmatched so far and if we’re honest wasn’t that great in the minors either. His calling card as a super-prospect was always how young he was. Still young, but at some point you gotta show it. Fourth best SS-of-the-future in the NL West.
He has a long swing and doesn’t take pitches enough= many Ks.
Even IF he hits, he’s not gonna stick at ss.
I didn’t enjoy the 0-3 today with 3 strike outs and 5 left on base.
I don’t think a GM needs to tell players what deals they’re working on, but once that deal is done I think a professional courtesy call to whomever is affected by the deal is fair.
As for what to do with Davis, a trade back to the Mets for a backend starter actually might work out. They could use his veteran presence at the hot corner, bench, dh with the kids.
nah Mets holding on to their starters, they just lost Senga to start the season..
JDDavis would help the NYM in the short term but I don’t believe it is wise to trade even low level pitchers in their minors. His defense is improved but lacking In the short term they have the Ghidorah of Baty, Vientos and Wendle (NOT a Law Firm).
Mauricio injury really hurts the NYM (maybe more than Diaz’s injury last year) Mauricio could have gotten a lot of ABs at 2B and 3B.
He would have struck out a lot, gotten his share of hits, added some speed and stregthened 2B along with McNeil (as pt OF).
I wouldn’t be surprised if the NYM doesn’t have Parada get some experience at 3B in AA and AAA. He’s one of their top prospects who right now is considered a C.
First off thumbs up for the Ghidorah reference even if end up being on the weak side of Ghidorahs lol. I honestly think without a set DH trading say Joey Lucchesi for JD would be a nice upgrade for them.
The giants org is a dumpster fire. Everyone leaving SF has bad stuff to say except Joc
Stunning analysis back baby.
That’s rich coming from a fan of a team who’s greatest player was a trashcan
“Everyone leaving SF has bad stuff to say…”
Yeah, all two of them.
Two observations about Chapman….if he’s bad or injured, he has a $54M guarantee. Not bad. But he was offered an extension before for more than twice this–and maybe, just maybe, when someone offers you $120M abd you are in your thirties, and no longer the player you were in your prime years…maybe you should consider it.
Most of these clowns think that they are worth way more than they in reality are LMMFAO at that WAR.
It’s time for communties to sue cities for the lethal criminality they unleash on us all
Ping
Nobody else wanted Chapman at that price , even on a short contract, he was desperate
“I guess he will have to walk through all that feces”…For people that are joined at the hip to Hollywood & MSM, you sure talk about “Fox News” a lot. Hypocrite much?
“Still mad Trump”…You probably have Hollywood, ABC, CBS, & NBC logos on your corporate sponsored “brain”, right Jack?
The fact that they claim Chapman is a “quality bat” is laughable, lol
That confused me too. Chaoman is a hack as a hitter. I don’t know what value an elite glove at third does for a team when the dude can’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.
Wolf Hoffmann — Nice line. I laughed. Hadn’t heard that one before.
Trade him to the Angels for some cash. Like $500.00.
Chapman has a career 118 wRC+. Last season it was a 110 wRC+ which means he was 10% better than league average. So, if Chapman isn’t a quality bat, that means at least 60%, and as many as 68% of the hitters in MLB aren’t quality bats.
“For Davis’ part, he told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle)…”
Why is a reporter’s name important for us to know and why is it part of the story?
This site rightfully gives credit to reporters who break stories or get interviews. It’s a classy thing to do.
Understood. But if he told multiple reporters, I wonder why they just mention one by name.
SF is a classless organization. It wasn’t always that way. But when you bring in a bald incompetent tyrant to run things, that’s what you end up with.
Meanwhile.. everyone is smiling in Dodger town.
I agree if my team has been outspending everyone and still only won 1 WS title in the past 36 years, I’d be smiling and bragging all day long about that.
A Ws title in a 60-game season when many players took the year off no less!
Dodgers rule!!!!
AND with no fans; BS playoff in an “Arlington bubble”; with the biggest asterisk of a “title” for a club which has choked since 1988? Smile, loser!
lol at bald. Going deep into the arsenal.
POS Haymen’s report has still not been confirmed by anyone @ SFG, so…
Are they really signing Chapman ?
You think we would know by now…
I think they are. One thing with Heyman I’ll say, while he does act unethical at times, he sometimes will hit the mark with his premature statements….even if he’s operating as a voice for tampering when the team can’t do it themselves. I realized that at the moment I lost respect for his tactics years ago when he helped the Red Sox tamper with Panda during the last World Series Panda was with the Giants.
The 40 man adjustment may be the delay. I don’t think they want to throw Cobb on the 60 day in hopes he’s ready sooner. Possibly trade in the works, or DFA time for someone. They still need to work out room for Snell too I suspect. They need to move some bodies soon.
At least they’re legitimately middle of the pack. This was getting ridiculous with the cast off pickups. This definitely does not scream a Farhan Move. But they have money to make. Players to Market. Interest to build. Having some vet contracts thru the building phase helps that. Unless you’re Houston and tank for four years. This will be Farhan’s last year anyway.
Chapman was not needed as Davis can hold down 3B with Flores as his backup. The money saved by not signing Chapman can be used elsewhere. Davis hits better and his D is not that bad at all.
Is that you JD Davis?
When was the last time the Giants cried poor? They can still spend…
Communication is a huge part of the game with their players. We hear winning franchises like Atlanta advise their players about potential displace with signings or trades.
Giants have had a hard time getting too tier players to with them. The general manager or manage should be communicating what this signing means to players like Davis. Would build a whole lot of respect
In all the years Crawford played, he played the game with class. He never complained publicly, he was always a great Giant.
Now we hear Crawford complaining about his treatment from Zaidi. ONLY from Zaidi, nobody else.
Let’s add to that what a total FAILURE Zaidi has been. He continues to miss out of top tier talent. The buck stops with him, nobody else.
SF needs to wake up and realize that Zaidi is the problem. Go take his cheap dumpster diving, chatgpt math ball approach to “Money Ball Analysts R Us” and get the hell out of SF.
I don’t necessarily agree with your take here other than Craw was a great Giant. The final game of 2023 was an unofficial Brandon Crawford appreciation day. Teams don’t just do that for anyone and lets not forget Crawford was finishing up a 2yr contact extension Zaidi gave him. Unfortunately father time and bad health caught up with Craw over those 2yrs as it does for all players.
I think everyone would like to play for one team but if as a player you’re fire to play means the league must rip the jersey off your back, this is often what happens. This happened with Jerry Rice, Willie Mays was actually traded, McCovey had pit stops in OAK and SD before coming full circle with SF. Will Clark, Matt Williams, Tim Lincecum, Mad Bum, the list goes on.
As for Zaidi, he’s made one mistake however it was huge and has set the team back. Gausman WANTED TO STAY, SF just needed to match the market and he chose not too the same off-season Posey retired and the exodus of that much talent the team hasn’t been able to replace.
That said, there’s a big time market dislocation this particular off-season and SF/Zaidi needs to take advantage as this is an opportunity to catch up talent wise on the roster. I know MLBTR keeps talking Snell but I think they should try to get Montgomery on a legit minimum 4yr deal but likely 5 or 6 where those out years can have both options that vest and should he need it an opt out..
I’ve said it other posts on MLBTR, I think he’s a LH Webb and on a staff that has so much doubt after Webb we need someone with that sort of durable consistency slotting in behind Webb.
As for JD, wtf is that guy’s agent doing?? Kudo’s to JD he put in a LOT of work last year with the glove and it showed. When the team wasn’t healthy he was a guy they were able to run out their daily and he produced. I’m not sure it was the early everyday workload or the minor bumps bruises incurred as the season wore on but the wheels came off the last 2 months hide his stand out 1st half.
To the human side of the story, camps been open for a couple of weeks, Opening Day is 4 weeks away and JD doesn’t know his future. Will his next team train in AZ or FLA? Did he sign a lease on a place in SF and can he get out of it?. What about his family, he’s NorCal raised so none of this is ideal. A good Giant, as the article here laid out, no longer a fit on this roster. For those teams who’ve been impacted by the RSN issues @ 7M he’s interesting however this late into the spring is even that amount tough to fit onto a roster?
Good read.
Crawford did alright out of the Giants.