Red Sox Linked to Giants’ Matt Chapman to Bolster Broken Offense

The Boston Red Sox's biggest mistake of the offseason before the 2026 Major League Baseball season was not adding another elite bat on top of Willson Contreras.

This isn't a groundbreaking take. At this point, if you have been following along with the organization this season, it has been abundantly clear. Contreras was an incredible addition. He has played in 68 games and is slashing .295/.389/.556 with a .945 OPS, 16 homers and 43 RBIs while playing elite defense over at first base. Boston lost a right-handed bat in Alex Bregman and Contreras has replaced his production, and more. But the Red Sox needed more offense last season as well, even when Bregman was in town. This past offseason, the Red Sox needed multiple big bats and missed.

Right now, the Red Sox have one of the worst offenses in baseball and is 29th in baseball with 59 homers.

If the Red Sox are going to have any chance of turning the 2026 season around, they need more offense and can't simply wait for Roman Anthony to return. If the team has shown anything over the last few weeks, it's that they need more. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel shared a column with the top-100 trade candidates around the league and mentioned Boston as a fit for San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman.

The Red Sox Need To Get Bold

Jun 14, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Matt Chapman (26) reacts after scoring a run on an RBI single hit by infielder Bryce Eldridge (not pictured) against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

"No. 20. Matt Chapman, 3B, San Francisco Giants," Passan and McDaniel wrote. "Chance of being traded: 25 percent. Rest-of-season impact: High. Years of control: Four years after 2026, at $100 million. The buzz: Chapman has been characteristically strong this season, hitting enough and playing well-above-average third base. If he wasn't owed $100 million from 2027 to 2030 -- his age-34 to age-37 seasons -- he would be much higher on this list. It's the issue, really, with all of the Giants' aging players they'd like to move: The combination of age and money owed leaves the deals underwater or close to it. ...

"Best fits: Cardinals, A's, Nationals, Brewers, Marlins, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox."

The idea of Chapman being potentially available isn't shocking. Rumors and reports have surfaced all week that the Giants could be looking to move guys. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Giants have "put out feelers" to teams around the league with a fire sale possible.

Chapman is someone who is expensive, but would help Boston. He's a five-time Gold Glove Award winner at the hot corner. So far this season, he has slashed .261/.348/.414 with a .762 OPS, seven homers, 39 RBIs, 17 doubles and has racked up 3.2 wins above replacement so far this season.

The biggest thing with Chapman is the fact that he has four seasons left on his six-year, $151 million deal. That's a lot of cash left. But Boston is a club that needs a bat and his would fit well at Fenway Park. If the Red Sox were to make a move, they could slot Chapman in at third base and move Caleb Durbin over to second base. It may not be a perfect idea, but it would make Boston better.

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