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Third baseman Matt Chapman and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a six-year, $151 million contract extension late Wednesday, keeping the veteran from opting out of his current deal to reach free agency.

The deal, which starts in 2025 and replaces the last two years of a three-year, $54 million contract he signed earlier this year, includes no deferred money and a full no-trade clause, sources told ESPN. The deal will expire in 2030, when Chapman will be 37.

Chapman, 31, has been one of the most productive players in baseball this season, combining a powerful bat with the best third-base defense in the major leagues. And less than a year after his market in free agency cratered, Chapman parlayed his strong season into a significant payday — and guaranteed himself more than $170 million between this season and the end of the extension.

It’s a stunning turnabout from the winter, when Chapman’s free agency dragged and landed him in San Francisco. All three years of his contract included opt-outs at the end, and Chapman went into spring training saying he wanted to bet on himself rather than take a lesser long-term deal.

The bet paid off.

“This offseason was a little strange with the free-agent market, but I was willing to bet on myself,” Chapman said during a news conference Thursday. “I believed in myself. I believed that the Giants would see my value as the season went on and what I bring every single day.”

Chapman was scratched from the starting lineup Wednesday, missing just his fourth game this season to work on finalizing the contract.

“Obviously, it was pretty important to get this thing done,” Chapman said. “We got it done, and now chances are I’m not going to be watching very much.”

Chapman was back in the lineup on Thursday, batting cleanup against Arizona. Giants manager Bob Melvin, who also managed Chapman in Oakland, said that the 31-year-old has become a clubhouse leader.

“We have some younger guys here that are learning their way and developing right now, and they watch the way he plays the game,” Melvin said. “There’s an expectation of how it needs to be played and he’s setting the example of that and guys have to fall in line.”

With a .247/.333/.445 line, Chapman has an adjust OPS 21% better than league average. His 22 home runs and 56 extra-base hits lead the Giants. And his glove, golden four times already, could be platinum-worthy this season.

All of it put him near the top of wins above replacement leaderboards throughout the game. His 6.0 Baseball-Reference WAR are the ninth most in baseball. At FanGraphs, it’s 4.5 WAR, 13th among position players. It’s reminiscent of the seasons that gave Chapman his first two Gold Gloves and his only All-Star appearance.

When he arrived in Oakland in 2017, Chapman had showcased power in the minor leagues that later would put him among the game’s exit-velocity giants. Chapman’s ability to hit the ball extremely hard — he’s 98th percentile in bat speed and 96th in average exit velocity — has persisted, and it gave the Giants the sort of confidence to pay him late into his 30s.

It was also a deal of necessity. At 68-72, the Giants are again one of baseball’s most disappointing teams. San Francisco has settled around .500 each of the past three seasons after a 107-win campaign in 2021, and it has left fans disenchanted and loud about potential changes inside the organization.

With president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi negotiating the contract with Chapman’s agent, Scott Boras, he doubled down on one of the successes of his winter. Another, left-hander Blake Snell, is likewise a Boras client expected to opt out of his deal and sign for a significantly larger number than the $60 million San Francisco guaranteed him for two years over the winter.

“The game rewards players like this,” Boras said.

Zaidi said conversations with Chapman began two-to-three weeks ago.

“We’re a team that’s trying to compete every year,” Zaidi said. “When we have an opportunity to get a great player who’s willing to bet on himself, that’s always an attractive proposition to us. And that’s what Matt did. He bet on himself and he got a very deserving reward today.”

Zaidi did not engage Thursday when asked about questions surrounding his future with the Giants.

Chapman joins a core that now includes right-hander Logan Webb (signed through 2028), center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (2029) and a cadre of young players who have shown flashes of excellence at points throughout the season: center fielder Heliot Ramos, catcher Patrick Bailey, shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald and left-hander Kyle Harrison.

A California native, Chapman said he feels comfortable in the Bay Area. He batted back concerns that San Francisco is not an attractive place for free agents, sharing other players have reached out about joining the Giants after news of his new deal.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a hard sell,” Chapman said. “This organization is amazing. They do everything they can for the players. We have a lot of good players. I think that we’re going to continue to build here. I think that people will see that from the outside and I don’t see that ever being an issue.”

Now that Chapman is off the market, a free agent class not teeming with high-end offensive options thins out even more. New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is the prize of the group, and after Chapman’s signing, third base-hungry teams will turn their attention toward another Boras client, Alex Bregman. Teams that could be in the market for a third baseman include Bregman’s current team, Houston, as well as the New York Mets (if Pete Alonso leaves and Mark Vientos moves to first), the Yankees, Seattle and Toronto.

Other top free agent bats include Alonso, Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames, Baltimore outfielder Anthony Santander, Arizona first baseman Christian Walker and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Canes bench G Andersen; Kochetkov to start G3

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Canes bench G Andersen; Kochetkov to start G3

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Carolina Hurricanes are benching starter Frederik Andersen for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Backup Pyotr Kochetkov, who replaced Andersen for the third period of their 5-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in Thursday’s Game 2, will get the start. Florida holds a 2-0 series lead over Carolina with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday night in Sunrise.

“Just change the vibe a little bit. I don’t blame Freddie for any of the goals that went in. Obviously, save percentage isn’t great, if you look at that. We do need some saves,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

Before Game 1 against Florida, Andersen had allowed only 12 goals in nine playoff games for a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average. But in two games against Florida, Andersen has given up nine goals on 36 shots, a .750 save percentage and a 5.54 GAA.

Defenseman Jaccob Slavin had nothing but praise for Andersen on the morning of Game 3, minutes before Brind’Amour announced the goalie change.

“He’s a stone wall back there. He has been all year, He’s a calm presence, and he’s not going to go out outside of his game to try to do anything crazy. So that gives a huge confidence,” Slavin said.

Kochetkov gave up one goal on five shots faced in Game 2. He saw action in the Hurricanes’ first-round win over the New Jersey Devils after Andersen was injured in a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier, giving up five goals on 50 shots in two Carolina victories.

Overall, Kochetkov has appeared in nine career playoff games with a save percentage of .871 and a 3.52 GAA.

Kochetkov saw the majority of the starts in the regular season for the Hurricanes, going 27-16-3 in 47 starts with a .898 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA.

The change comes as the Hurricanes desperately try to get back into a series in which the Panthers have outscored them 10-2. But there are other lineup considerations for Carolina. Brind’Amour said defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker are both game-time decisions. Chatfield has yet to appear in the conference finals with an undisclosed injury. Walker was shaken up in Game 2 on a hit from Florida forward A.J. Greer.

Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was a healthy scratch in Game 2, is expected back in the Hurricanes’ lineup.

Puck drop for Game 3 of the East finals is 8 p.m. ET.

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Panthers’ Reinhart out for Game 3 vs. Hurricanes

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Panthers' Reinhart out for Game 3 vs. Hurricanes

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart will miss Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with a lower body injury.

The Panthers lead the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0, with the action shifting to Sunrise on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

Reinhart was Florida’s leading scorer in the regular season with 81 points in 79 games, including a team-high 39 goals. He is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Reinhart scored 57 goals for the Panthers in 2023-24 to earn an eight-year, $69 million contract extension.

He left the Panthers’ 5-0 win in Game 2 on Thursday after a first-period hit by Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho as Reinhart carried the puck into the offensive zone. Aho appeared to make contact with Reinhart’s left knee. Reinhart’s last shift ended with 2:08 left in the first period.

Reinhart underwent testing Friday and was ruled out by coach Paul Maurice on Saturday. Maurice listed him as day-to-day after the Panthers’ morning skate.

The 29-year-old has 11 points in 14 playoff games, skating on the team’s top line with captain Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues. Reinhart was second on the Panthers with 10 goals during their Stanley Cup championship run in 2024.

Maurice said Reinhart is “a significant player” out of the lineup, one who contributes to the power play and penalty kill.

Forward Jesper Boqvist will draw into Reinhart’s spot alongside Barkov. The 26-year-old has one goal and one assist in nine playoff games this season but has averaged just 8:52 in ice time.

Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said the Panthers have plenty of experience picking up the slack for players who are out of their lineup. Florida had only 12 players who played at least 76 games in the regular season.

“Not necessarily losing Rhino, but up and down the line of losing guys. It’s never easy, but it’s a team effort and has always been there for us. Not replace him, because he’s irreplaceable, but do our best,” Ekblad said.

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U.S. routs Sweden to reach hockey worlds final

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U.S. routs Sweden to reach hockey worlds final

STOCKHOLM — The United States beat Sweden 6-2 to advance to the final of the ice hockey world championship Saturday.

In Sunday’s final, the U.S. will play either Switzerland or Denmark, who meet in the other semifinal later Saturday.

The U.S. jumped to a 2-0 lead with a dominant display in the opening period, outshooting the Swedes 13-3.

Brady Skjei put the Americans ahead 6:52 into the game with a shot from the blue line that went through heavy traffic in front of goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Cutter Gauthier doubled the advantage with 2:47 remaining, picking up the puck after a shot by Shane Pinto was blocked and directing it into the net between Markstrom’s pads.

Gauthier was born in Skelleftea, Sweden, in 2004 when his father, a goaltender, played for a local team.

Conor Garland added a third with 8:53 to go in the second by knocking in a rebound. Mikey Eyssimont made it 4-0 on a 4-on-2 rush from the right circle.

Samuel Ersson replaced Markstrom in the Swedish net at the start of the final period.

William Nylander scored the first for Sweden 6:32 into the third period, and Elias Lindholm scored another 41 seconds later to give Sweden some hope at 4-2.

But defenseman Jackson LaCombe beat Ersson for the fifth U.S. goal with 8:51 to go, and Shane Pinto finished it off into an empty net to complete a three-point game after assisting on the opening two goals.

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