Dodgers rival's extension steals possible offseason third base solution from LA

One commonly overlooked luxury that most good teams have is rostering a third baseman who can play everyday and contribute on both sides of the ball.

Think about it. Some of the more successful clubs over the last few seasons, excluding the Dodgers, have seen their respective third basemen serve as one of, if not the best, players on the team.

Recent World Series winners had Rafael Devers (Red Sox), Anthony Rendon (Nationals), Austin Riley (Braves), Alex Bregman (Astros) and Josh Jung (Rangers) own the hot corner as clutch hitters you could count on to be in the lineup each game.

Already World Series contenders, third base is a position that the Dodgers will look to fill this upcoming offseason. The 2024 schedule has seen a carousel of players play third, going from Kiké Hernández to Max Muncy to Cavan Biggio to Miguel Rojas on any given night. Muncy, long-term, probably doesn't represent an elite option at the position. In fact, it's tough to see a fit on Los Angeles' roster with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman pegged eternally in their spots.

The organization's quest to find a potential third baseman this offseason just got a bit harder, too. Los Angeles' inner-state rival inked Matt Chapman to lengthy extension on Thursday, keeping him with the Giants for the remainder of his prime.

Chapman signed the extension for six years and $151 million, which replaces the two option seasons left on his current contract with San Francisco.

Dodgers will roll with Max Muncy at third base in 2025 after Matt Chapman contract

A native Southern Californian, Chapman is having a marvelous 2024 season. He's mashed 22 home runs, notched 33 doubles and scored 90 runs entering Sept. 5. Each of these numbers are tops on the team. The four-time Gold Glove winner is tied for third (Ketel Marte) in the National League in bWAR among position players with a 6.0 reading, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (7.0) and Francisco Lindor (6.3).

One major point to Chapman's value is that he is consistently in the lineup. Barring the COVID-19 shortened season, the Cal State Fullerton product has played in at least 140 games each season in his eight-year career.

Now, with Chapman off the board, who could the Dodgers target? The market for third basemen is limited, but Alex Bregman (30 years old) and Eugenio Suarez (33) would be the first players to consider. Bregman might theoretically be someone they move on from Muncy in favor of, but Suarez certainly isn't. Los Angeles will likely see some big names depart from Hollywood, which could open up the front office's checkbooks once again for a bat worth keeping long-term. Still, it seems likelier today than yesterday that they hope Tommy Edman can insure against a Muncy health scare next season and just roll with their incumbent for now (with a 2025 contract and '26 club option attached to his deal).