February 27: The Cardinals made the deal official, announcing it today. Per Slusser, Crawford will make a salary of $2MM.
February 26: The Cardinals are reportedly in agreement with shortstop Brandon Crawford on a major league deal, pending a physical. Financial terms have not yet been reported. Crawford is a Wasserman client. The Cardinals will need to make a 40-man roster move once the deal is finalized.
St. Louis has been looking for a veteran infielder who could take on the backup shortstop job. Crawford was perhaps the top unsigned player who could fill that role. It’ll assuredly be a low-cost flier on the 13-year big league veteran, who’ll take on a depth job for the first time in his career. Crawford has been a starting shortstop since debuting with the Giants back in 2011.
The UCLA product had an excellent run over his time in the Bay Area. Crawford helped the Giants to World Series titles in 2012 and ’14. He was one of the sport’s preeminent defensive infielders during the last decade. Crawford won three consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2015-17 and took a step forward with the bat in his late-20s. He earned a Silver Slugger in 2015 and turned in average or better offensive production in six of the eight seasons between 2014-21.
Crawford inked a six-year extension over the 2015-16 offseason. That put him on track to reach free agency after the 2021 campaign. He surprisingly turned in the best season of his career that year, hitting .298/.373/.522 en route to a fourth-place finish in NL MVP balloting. The Giants kept him around for another two years at $16MM annually on an extension signed towards the end of that season.
While an understandable decision during Crawford’s resurgent season, the latter extension did not pan out. Crawford’s offensive production plummeted beginning in 2022. He hit .231/.308/.344 two seasons ago. His production fell off further last year. The left-handed hitter put up a personal-worst .194/.273/.314 slash line in 320 trips to the plate. Crawford punched out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances for the first time in his career.
Injuries have sent him to the shelf on a few occasions over the last two years. Since the start of 2022, he has had IL stints related to his left knee (twice), right knee, right calf, left forearm and right hamstring. None of those required a long-term absence, but it’s possible that playing through any number of those issues has taken a toll on his performance.
The Cardinals can’t expect much from Crawford offensively as he enters his age-37 campaign. Public metrics are split on how valuable he remains on the other side of the ball. Crawford isn’t the elite defender he was at his peak. Statcast still grades him as a solid gloveman, giving him above-average marks every season since it began tracking in 2015. That includes an estimated four runs above average a year ago.
Defensive Runs Saved has been far less forgiving. DRS has graded Crawford as a well below-average defender two years running. It marked him 14 runs below par in 725 2/3 innings last season. Among shortstops, only Tim Anderson and Amed Rosario fared more poorly by that estimate.
St. Louis will be hopeful of at least passable glovework in a rotational role. The Cards are going to turn the position to rookie Masyn Winn. The 21-year-old struggled in a very limited MLB look at the end of last season, hitting .172/.230/.238 in 37 games. Prospect evaluators have praised his defensive acumen and power upside, though, and the Cards haven’t made any effort to block his path to MLB playing time.
Winn’s presence pushed last year’s Opening Day shortstop, Tommy Edman, to center field. While he’s still capable of handling the middle infield, the Crawford signing will allow manager Oli Marmol to keep Edman in the outfield even on days when Winn needs a breather. It also affords the Cardinals some security in case Edman isn’t available early in the season. The switch-hitter is working back from an arthroscopic right wrist procedure. He’s hopeful of being ready for Opening Day but has yet to begin taking live batting practice with less than a month until the regular season.
Aside from Edman, St. Louis didn’t have a clear backup shortstop on their 40-man roster. Neither Brendan Donovan nor José Fermín is a great fit there. Crawford takes that role. Roster Resource projects the St. Louis payroll around $182MM, pending the Crawford deal. He shouldn’t add more than a couple million dollars to that ledger.
As for the Giants, they’ll officially bid farewell to one of the faces of the franchise’s recent history. It became clear towards the end of last season that things were headed in this direction. San Francisco is going to turn shortstop over to a top prospect of their own, Marco Luciano. They signed longtime division rival Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal to serve as glove-first veteran depth. Crawford returned from the injured list on the final day of last season so he could receive a proper send-off from the San Francisco fanbase. He’s the final player from their 2012 and ’14 World Series teams to depart the organization, although Pablo Sandoval has since returned on a non-roster pact.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first indicated Crawford and St. Louis were in talks. Katie Woo of the Athletic was first to report the sides had reached an agreement. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported it was a major league deal.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
there were a lot of better options out on the market but they choose to wait till the last minute and sign crawford… That’s the cardinals for you
Welcome to the St Louis Cardinals.
If you want to hang on too long, the St. Louis Cardinals have got a spot for you.
poetic
I don’t understand this from Crawford’s perspective. He’s had a very good MLB career….made a boatload of cash, has two rings….but also has a bunch of young kids at home….isn’t it time to hang it up?
If you still enjoy playing baseball, and someone is willing to give you $2M to do it, then why not keep playing?
Man bun first family second.
Better options for a back-up shortstop? Who cares?
I mean SS was slim pickins this year
And they chose the guy whose bat AND glove are the shakiest they’ve ever been. He’s never been a bench player, so maybe this is just what the doctor ordered.
I rather take him then option 2, Paul DeJong. The same guy that they traded to Toronto to get minor leaguers and then Toronto released him right after when he was bad there.
Dejong would have been fine in this role. It’s a backup shortstop that probably only makes the team if someone is hurt. This is not a big deal.
Exactly-Cards are so afraid Ollie will not be able to figure out how to win they keep adding older players to teach him on the go. What a joke for a manager.
Won’t find better “veteran presence” than Crawford. They have a state goal of improving the veteran leadership in the clubhouse.
The problem with leadership is the manager. I imagine come July or so they will figure that out.
Outsiders still shaking their heads about the firing of Shildt.
Haha. Well said
What “better options” were there in the shortstop market? I wouldn’t say Crawford is meaningfully worse than Dejong, Anderson, or Rosario. I guess IKF is better, but he got stupidly overpaid by the Blue Jays and he’s not a difference maker either. It was just a really brutal market for shortstops in FA this year.
How about they sign Montgomery instead?
Mo got impatient and blew his wad early on over the hill bums like Lance Lynn. If he woulda been patient he coulda got Monty for a team friendly deal like the Cubs did with Bellinger.
He also got Sonny Gray – not a bum – for a very reasonable 3/75.
I like the Gray deal. Don’t really like signing Lynn who was hot garbage last year. Gibson is a fine 5th SP but they f’d up and signed both him and Lynn.
The gray deal is a way better deal than paying 30m for bellinger. Or 80m if he is average or sucks. Great deal for him, all the downside belobgs to the Cubs.
So glad they didn’t sign Montgomery, that would have made them clear favorite for the NLC. Amd Chapman would have filled a more pressing hole in their lineup.
No real downside . They’re an annual top four revenue team in MLB. If he’s just average ,three years is nothing for them to absorb. They only wanted him for a year or two to bridge to their stocked farm. They get his prime years.
I don’t see a hole in that lineup anywhere
Needing glasses?
Risking an 80 million albatross contract against 1 good year and immediate opt out isn’t really a great deal for the team.
It’s a vastly better than the predicted 12/$264M.
not a terrible move as Wynn insurance but don’t think a team should have Crawford and Carpenter on its roster in the year 2024…
Carpenter, Lance Lynn and Brandon Crawford. Is this a sentimental reunion tour or a Major League Baseball team?..Who next, Matt Holiday?..Kolten Wong?
Pretty much. This would be a decent 2018 offseason for the Cards. In 2024… not so much.
Rumor has it they’re kicking the tires on MadBum.
MadBum Horses don’t have tires to kick
Kicking the horseshoes on *Mason Saunders
MadBum tires kick you.
You’ve got to be joking Please
Brandon Belt is floating around for part of a reunion tour
As a cub fan I love it. I like the Madbum idea too..heck Greinke is looking for a deal too.
As a cub fan you’re going to be looking up at the Cardinals all year. Get use to it!
I hope Greinke sign somewhere. Guy is so close to 3k Ks
but it is an all star NL west nfield now with arrenado, goldshmidt – granted they were all stars like 10 years ago – but all stars….
Scott Boras that you?
to be fair, Nado was an all star last season and Goldy got one in 22
well crawford was an mvp finalist in ’21 too – he has just fallen off a cliff since
that’s true, i don’t expect him to be much for the team but if he can help make Wynn even half of the hype then we’re good.
It will be weird to see Party Boy in a different jersey.
I love Brandon Crawford on the Giants and will always have the best memories of the amazing plays he made. I just think the Giants brass was a little upset that the most senior player on the team didn’t shoulder a little more leadership when the ship was floundering last year. Instead of being the clubhouse DJ, they needed him to come out of his shell a little and rally the troops. It’s just not his way, and that’s OK too. He’s a forever Giant regardless.
Now it’s time for the Cards clubhouse to make some noise for DJ BC RAW !
Good luck Brandon, you were my favorite player for many years.
Craw will always be beloved in SF, but I’m afraid what this last year (or half year) in St. Lou will look like for him. Say it aint so Craw, say it aint so.
Nobody really talked about Crawford’s weight last year, but it was obvious that he’d put on quite a few pounds – deadly for a SS in his late 30s. It’s not like Peterson, who gained so much weight that he could barely bend over to pick up ground balls in the OF but I’m surprised that Crawford let it get to that.
I was reading his draft year scouting analysis, and they were talking about how he has a tendency to put on lower body weight which may negatively affect his performance down the line. Boy did they get that right. Although he was still making the occasional spectacular play even late last season.
I think he’s referring to his uncanny resemblance to party boy from the hit MTV show Jackass.
This works for them. You can say it’s a Win/Wynn situation.
Early got 300 of those, on the nose!
Wynn/Lose would have been a better joke considering they will lose every single game Brandon Crawford starts at shortstop.
Lynn, Moose or Straw.
Timing of this is an indication that upper minor league talent is not performing well in ST?
Anyone know how Prieto is doing? Saw him play at AA Bowie in 2022. Loved his approach to hitting. Seemed to take each at bat as a personal war between him and the pitcher … with each pitch being a battle. Very Eddie Murray like.
Prieto is hitting solid i would say, a .429 AVG / .500 OBP / .929 OPS in 7 AB’s
I’ll take it. Better than nothing. He’s long past his prime, but he was my favorite SS of this generation.
I was about to reply to you in the other thread and boom. Ha. Good call Wagner>Cobb
Thanks
I strongly believe nothing would have been the better option.
St. Louis is now becoming more of a retirement home than Florida.
“Welcome to AARP Field at Busch Stadium”
It’s appropriate that they play spring training games in Jupiter.
Or could it be that the cards are going all in on grit, veteran savvy and all the mediocre, over the hill white player superlatives? Could this be the next moneyball market inefficiency? Only time will tell! (LOL nah jk. Idk what they’re smoking in st Louis but it’s time to share)
I will not say that because of the 20-21 year olds that is already on the team in Wynn and Walker.
I thought Cards had a surplus of middle inf? so much so, that Edman was moved to OF.
They have a billion 2Bs and no backup SS because they stuck him in CF
Not that it matters, hes injured anyway
they should give Saggese more looks at SS in ST/AAA this year. I think Winn is the real deal, but you’re right that they’re severely lacking in backup/future options for the position.
I think Prieto is an underrated bat, but I believe his glovework isn’t too good. SS honestly looks like it will be the weakest position for the Cards’ system once Winn graduates, unless you count Saggese
I’m having a moment here where I’m realizing they REALLY are putting a lot of hope into Winn succeeding. and even then, he’s not going to be an elite hitter at the plate. most orgs try to have several good SS prospects in their system–and then move them off to 3B or 2B if need be. Cards’ “best” true SS prospect after Winn is Jonathan Mejia, who had a .570 OPS in 164 complex PAs last year
Better than Fermin getting any AB’s the first 2-4 weeks of the season. If Edman is sidelined longer than expected, then Crawford is a good get.
As long as he doesn’t interfere with Luken Baker and Luken Baker’s PAs. Make it make sense.
All nostalgia aside, he’s done.
End of an era. Good luck B Craw, thanks for the memories
I don’t blame Cards fans for complaining. Mo continues to sign washed up, over the hill players. Just like he did when he supposedly “fixed” that horrible rotation. It has not been a good winter for the last place Cardinals. They might as well trade Goldy and Arrenado and start over.
Keep believing that.
“Keep believing that”…I don’t come here to bash the Cardinals or anybody really, but just the fact the Cards are loading up on nostalgia, over-the-hill types suggests to me they don’t expect the team to be any good.
Dont take my word for it, check Zips or any of the other projection systems. NLC is wide open and until the Cubs signed Bellinger most had Cards as divisional favorite. Guessing rhe Cubs might be a game better by now.
The rotation is dull as ditchwater. But they have a good lineup. Yes 2023 could repeat itself but the professional projection systems dont think so.
I am a Cubs fan and I don’t see how anyone can think Reds are not in mix.
Steer, India, Elly, Matt, CES, Marte, Stephenson, Jeimer, Friedl, Fraley, Benson, and Alexis.
The only reason I have the Cubs even with the Reds is because the Cubs have better starting pitching. But the Reds young stars are awesome.
2024 NL central
1T. Cubs
1T. Reds
3. Brewers
4. Cards
5. Pirates
I agree for the most part. The Reds will be good and the Cubs biggest competition in the NL Central. I think the Brewers will be firmly behind those 2 and firmly ahead of Pittsburgh and STL. I think, once again, the Cards and the Pirates will be fighting for the cellar. As it stands now, I think the Pirates will be the better of the two.
Fast forward a couple of years, I like the Pirates a lot more than the Deadbirds. Just not a lot of promising young talent in STL.
Cardinals Reds Milwaukee Pittsburgh Chicago
Nuts! Pirates will surprise this year. Cubs middle of road. Cardinals last.
And thus, trading Goldy and/or Arenado at the deadline will make perfect sense.
Yes! Don’t know what direction Cardinals going! Cubs in for long season. Could come down to Reds ,Pirates like old days. Pirates owned the east division.
Somebody’s going to the 60 day IL or DFA for another over the hill type. WOW.
Between Arenado + Goldschmidt as their power player regulars and Carpenter + Crawford as their bench bats, it’s hard not to feel like this St. Louis roster is about five years behind the times. I wonder if ownership got a little too optimistic about the capacity of veterans to over-perform after the magical Yadi/Pujols/Wainwright campaign two years ago.
Better the Cards than the Giants. My fear was that the Giants would re-sign him. Now they can move 100% forward with Luciano. Or as a backup, Fitzgerald. Just no Donnie Walton. Or Casey Schmitt.
The Giants know him better than anyone obviously. They know he’s washed and that’s why there was no offer to bring him back in spite of him being a fan favorite and a huge part of their successful run a few years back. Desperate dumpster dive by the Cardinals.
This puts the right kind of pressure on the youth, as they can compete for their spot without fans pressuring the team to play the vet if there are bumps along the way. Also there is no temptation for the coach to default to the vet.
True Giants Fan — I agree with most of what you say, but Casey Schmitt is going to be an excellent everyday SS or 3b in time. Patience.
3rd not SS
perfect! They have plenty of veteran “voices” now. This seems to point toward a trade of Burleson being in the near future.
For what? He has little to no value.
Congratulations Brandon Crawford!!!
Is it a minor league or major league deal? If major, who’s getting kicked off the 40-man? If minor, is this just early-season insurance if Edman isn’t ready to start the season? Barring further injury will Crawford be off the team in May?
Maybe a 1m majors deal with incentives
He’s only good in short spurts until he inevitably ends up on the IL. He also has a weight problem, and as the season goes on he seems to put on the pounds, which just adds to his lack of production.
Ozzie Smith wanted two years and an opt out so they went with Crawford.
Flipped ’em a bird on his way out, I bet
Jose Oquendo wasn’t returning their calls, so they went with Crawford.
Guys like this used to always have a spot on somebody’s roster. I’m glad Crawdaddy is staying in the Bigs one more year. Those old veterans off the bench always seem to come up clutch.
The comments here are hilarious. Settle down people!!
Crawford will be DFA’d as soon Edman is healthy and can be Winn’s backup again. Geez.
I hope you’re right
This move is fine. Crawford’s a lefty hitter so that fits pretty well. It’s the pitching that bothers me. Looking at how the market played out, does anyone believe Lynn and Gibson were going to be snapped up by anyone else. So we bid against ourselves. Again.
Waiting is the only option. Come on 2026.
I hate seeing a player like this end their career in another teams jersey. Hopefully he puts up some good numbers in St. Louis.
Instead of getting Lance Lynn, Mo should have gotten Clevinger. As a White Sox fan, I can say that Clevinger would’ve worked out better, behind a better defense, he lost a couple games I watched because the Sox just floundered on defense or left him hanging with no run support.
@ DonO.. Mo’s replacement will fit the mold precisely, so I think for anyone to expect much to change is unrealistic, unfortunately, regarding overall spending, but someone else can definitely make better decisions a lot more often. The saddest part about this off-season has been, not much surprising at all has happened. The organization did what it does, and will continue doing, over and over and over again, until new ownership comes to town, which probably won’t happen in our lifetimes. (just my 2 cents not worth 1)
You’re 100% correct about the spending. But I’m not really upset about how much they spend. I just hate how they spend it. Mo just isn’t good enough at what he does to make all the decisions unilaterally.
Flores gets my vote.. (and btw, thanks for responding Mr. TR Badge Big Timer (jokingly), you deserve it.. plus, I like how you didn’t brown-nose your way to having it)
Also, I kinda agree about their spending, but in order to make their model succeed, their decisions, short and long term, need to improve substantially.. that’s why I called for $200mil on here several times, mainly because the increase would leave more $ to be spent after the bad decisions Mo & Co will inevitably make. However, there is zero doubt the money could be spent more wisely, and, of course, I realize the increase could also provide more money for them to spend on guys 35 or older.
Goodbye sweet prince, we will always love you
He didn’t die Agnes, he only signed with a different team.
Yeah, but this is a sad way for a Giants icon to go out.
You know what I mean Jean, it’s a sad day as a Giants fan. KNBR put out a tweet with a video compilation of some of his best plays, if it doesn’t bring a tear to your eye then I don’t know what to say. He’s a forever Giant.
Yeah, I knew what you meant. Just a joke, because it was so similar to Horatio saying “goodnight sweet prince” when Hamlet dies.
Plus, I guess I look at it a little more philosophically in that I can celebrate his career as a Giant, but still be happy for him that he can continue that career, even if it’s with a different team.
Treat him kindly, Card fans. Still stinging from losing him. He will be a terrific mentor and back up to your rookie SS. Best of luck to my favorite Giant.
Elvis Andrus was decent for the White Sox last year, with Crawford signing with the Cardinals, I wonder where he lands now…
Big fan of Crawford. Quality role model for Wynn.
I see the geniuses of the MLBTR comment section have found a way to despair over signing a backup SS. Keep up the good work!
Despair? Hyperbole much?
St Louis has had an awful year/off season. How they went from division favorites last year to their finish and projections this season. Truly baffles me.
Mo finally has absolute power. No dissenting voices to be found anywhere. He purged the organization of anyone who would challenge him. This is the result. Plain and simple.
For you Cardinals fans, I think having Yadi in the organization again will help, especially with Marmol. As far as Mo is concerned, that’s going to be tough, he’s going to have a long leash until he starts having back to back losing seasons.
Except Molina isn’t really with the organization. He can come and go as he sees fit. The team will be out of it by June. Marmol is a lame duck and will make it through the season to not be as-signed. Mo will also step down at the end of the year, one year early. They are focused on doing what they can to sell tickets(Gray signing). That’s why their big off season moves were just in time for holiday packs to go on salt. but font let them fool you, goal is to just get through 2024, not compete in it. It will in 2026 when they start to turn the corner and start to compete again in ‘27 if the next GM is able to make some better signings and some trades. The farm system is weak, so hitting on the 7th overall pick this and another top 10 pick in 2025 is imperative.
Their farm system was recently ranked 13th, and they have a lot of recent graduates in the lineup for several years (Nootbaar, Walker, Donovan, Gorman and now Winn). They absolutely do not have a young talent issue on the hitting side, quite the opposite.
The issue is whether or not the army of ‘maybe’ young pitching delivers 2+ SPs in the next 2 years. It needs to.
13th out of 30 isn’t great. Nootbaar and Donovan were never considered top prospects. The majority of players in AAA will be over the age of 25. They have a terrible farm.
13th isnt great. But if its ‘terrible’ (your word) then 17/30 teams have farm systems that are worse than terrible
You like your exaggerations, dont you?
They’re old and they really don’t have a good farm. MLB should probably award them more comp picks.
Wrong again
Their projections this year are fine. Fangraphs has them as slight division favorites over Chicago, even after the Bellinger deal
Good dude, wish him well
Will they be playing baseball or lawn bowling at Busch Stadium in 2024?
Just be careful, with all those old men, some of them are bound to yell at someone to get off their lawn.
Cards need to sign Greinke now and they are all set.
So is your mom!!
Yea someone has to go off 40 man roster.
Hopefully Fermin. At least Kennedy has some bat. Siani has very subpar triple a numbers, id drop him too.
Cards looking for as much vet leadership as they can get in that clubhouse.
Should be Carpenter. Crawford provides lefty bat and pretty much can cover all infield. Hate it for Carp but don’t see needing him
poor choice by Crawford to sign at the east missouri old folks home that’s destined to finish last for several years. Hopefully he can opt out by the end of spring training and go somewhere better suited for a player like him.
They will win the Central easy this year. Mark my words son
What are you on? Delirious!!
Hahaha …. How old can one team get? Are they the oldest team in MLB history?
Not even close. They only have 3 pitchers, 1 starting position player, and now 2 potential bench players who are 35+, and there is no longer anyone who is 40+.
Should change their name to the St. Louis Paleontologists
Makes me wonder if Carlson is more so on the trading block. Couldn’t Nootbar and Carlson play center if Edman had to move to short? Kind of a head scratcher seems to me.
Getting more and more like they are building for the legends slow pitch softball league.
That’s not the issue. Carlson is indeed the backup CF, and Crawford isn’t an OF, anyway.
The issue is who backs up the unproven Winn at SS if Edman and Donovan are both still recovering (as they are currently) from their surgeries when the regular season starts.
Taking a flier on Crawford is OK. FO needs to do more than what was done in previous few years and a Goldie extension isn’t the solution. Reds and Bucs will dominate the division soon. Cards have had it too easy for the better part of 2 decades. It is time now to manage against viable competition.
Not sure why all the hate for getting Crawford. From the sounds of it, there was a major leadership issue not just from management but the players. Having more veterans could be beneficial for the younger guys. Also, it’s a back up SS role, who cares? Having someone like him around could be a good thing for the club house.
Until you see the ghost of Crawford play.
I can’t imagine he’d sign just to keep playing at this point, unless he firmly believes he can mount a comeback and secure a new contract in 2025 for more money.
I am guessing it’s like 1 year/$6M w/ a $2M buyout on a $14M mutual option or something?
Will be way less than this
If he was a guy trying to reestablish himself because he had injuries or down seasons heading into free agency after modest arbitration salaries, or he had a very short term high salary contract like 2 years/$32M, didn’t live up to it and was trying to reestablish himself, and that was the biggest payday of a modestly salaried career, I’d agree with you.
But the reality is, in terms of seven figure salaries, he is coming off a 9 year/$100.8M run with the Giants (and really more like 8 years/$107M if you adjust from the pro-rated 2020 season) so I just don’t see him taking less than a few million to keep playing at this point, unless it’s purely about playing and not about future income- which it might be.
Maybe you’re right and it’s a token $1M deal, but I am guessing it is far more lucrative than that. Maybe not $6M, but perhaps $4M or more.
You may be right. Lets compromise on 2-3m with incentives?
Boom. 2m.
You’re 100% correct. I love the signing!
Inaccurate statement in this article…. not at all true! “Winn’s presence pushed last year’s Opening Day shortstop, Tommy Edman, to center field. While he’s still capable of handling the middle infield, the Crawford signing will allow manager Oli Marmol to keep Edman in the outfield even on days when Winn needs a breather. ” Winn’s performance had nothing to do with Edman moving to CF!!!! The lack of offense and questionable defense by anyone playing CF (at least in Marmol’s unfocused eyes) had Edman moved to CF. Nothing special about Winn playing SS unless he can reliably hit the ball, far from proven he can do that.
It says “presence,” not “performance.” It is true that Winn’s presence as a top prospect who is intended to be the Opening Day shortstop is largely why Edman has been pushed to CF full-time (for now).
Otherwise, they could’ve kept O’Neill and played Nootbaar in CF vs. RHP and Carlson in CF (with Nootbaar in RF and Walker at DH) vs. LHP, along with Edman occasionally, as well.
Weird to think of Crawford playing anywhere besides his hometown Giants. Hopefully he can officially retire as a Giant when he hangs them up. And he’s still got two more legit rings than a lot of current Dodgers players.
Who will be replaced on the 40 man?
These comments about the Cards being old are not really accurate. With Contreras/Herrerra, Winn, Donovan, Gorman, Nootbaar, Edman, Carlson, & Walker, they have to be among the youngest teams for position players. And I’d certainly rather have older pitchers as opposed to a bunch of younger scatter-arms.
Finally someone that gets it!
Except for Gray, the Cardinal rotation is embarrassing. I understand why Card fans are unhappy.
Contreras is 31, Edman will be 29 in May, Donovan is 27, Nootbaar will be 27 this year, Goldschmidt is 36 and Arenado will be 33 in April. I wouldn’t consider that a young position player core.
I see that as well as using next birthdays rather than actual ages you nicely sidestepped Gorman, Walker and Winn. Nice objective job.
Those are all ages they will be at some point this season. MLB is filled with teams that have at least 3 guys under 25 on the roster.
In 20 years that will all be over 40. What a scandal, sack the FO.
Who will be the LVP for the Cardinals??? Crawford or Carpenter????
Damn that’s tough!!! I will say Lynn
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Crawford contributes in a reserve role. Less chance of injury with the reduced playing time, which has been his big problem the last 2 seasons.
The fact that SF let him walk doesn’t mean he’s totally washed. I think they just didn’t want Luciano looking over his shoulder, worrying about being replaced, had they re-signed Crawford,
I hope he does well in StL. He’s a solid guy, and I hope Cards’ fans get to see some of what made him so good in SF.
If nothing else, I give the Cardinals a lot of credit for at least trying to do a helluva lot more than anyone else in the NL Central. (The Cubs re-upped their star. Ok)
Not that any of the signings are earth shattering but they’re pushing forward
The cubs also signed Imanaga and traded for Matt Bush, the Brewers signed Rhys Hoskins, the Pirates brought in Chapman and Tellez, and the reds brought in Montas and Candelario. But more importantly, all those teams have multiple players ready to move into the bigs and play at a high level. The rest of the team has done a lot, via drafting well, developing players and having a plan for the future. Those things the Cardinal fail to do because there stuck in 2016.
Thats mostly because Walker, Gorman and Winn (and Donovan) already just stepped into the majors. Which makes the Cards young hitting core 1-2 years ahead in development of the guys at the top of other NLC clubs farm systems.
Cards issue is SP, pure and simple. They desperately need 2 of Hence, Roby, Thompson, Robberse etc to graduate in 2025 to free up the money being spent on old vets at the bottom of the rotation to invest in someone to keep Gray company at the top end
They are not 1-2 years ahead of development of the other clubs. The other NLC teams farms are deep, the put some in the majors last year with more coming this year.
The issue is far from only being the pitching. They were 19th in runs scored all of the NL, 10th in just the NL. That’s a bottom 3rd offense no matter how you look at it, and they are rolling the same line up out there with another year of Goldschmidt and Arenado declines.
You’re funny.
They pay the shuttle from Bethesda the same rate if it is full or not, so since there is a couple seats left why not sign Crawford. Probably trying to get Rasmus on the shuttle to.
Who are all of these veteran leaders supposed to to lead? Are they going for a 1:1 teacher to student ratio? That’s a college marketing tactic. I think there is going to be big locker room devide between the 2016 all stars and the new group of players that think they matter and are the future, even though those guys have to rely on max effort rather than elite talent.
If you are the Cards and you know Edman is getting surgery, you could get Paul DeYoung back with the birds. Same ABs, but better hitter, twice as many HR, better DWAR, and knows the club. Plus seven years younger and is a vet. He’s a rightie replacing a rightie. This is just dumb. He signed with the white sox for 1.75mill.
Nobody wants to see DeJong back here unless it’s in a visiting dugout.
He/she has a point that DeJong is still a good defensive SS, is is at least much younger and hits better than Crawford does.
I guess the Cardinals are the new home for the 35-40 yr old all-stars from 10-15 years ago.
What a shame. The Cardinals, in recent past, were one of the best franchises in the league.
Sad. Sad. Sad.
I guess Descalsco turned down the option to be a player coach? He’s a year younger than Crawford.
If Lynn, Gibson, and Gray (that was actually a good signing) are worth 15 wins from most predictions wonder what this’ll do
Do keep in mind that those guys are partially replacing guys like Woodford and Wainwright who put up significant negative WAR last year, plus the bullpen is also quite a bit better with guys like Kittridge and Middleton over the trash they were often throwing out much of last year, especially after the trade deadline.
Right there with Goldschmidt and Arenado in the seiniors home.
I hope it goes well for him, but seeing him play last year was painful, especially at the plate. Should have retired as a Giant like Posey did.
Donovan is perfectly fine as a backup shortstop.
Now there’s a roster logjam just because Crawford might be somewhat of a defensive improvement and hits even worse than Matt Carpenter?! If Edman is ready by Opening Day or returns from the IL before any other position player gets hurt, are the Cardinals going to DFA either Crawford or Carpenter already or send Burleson back to AAA? This would’ve made much more sense as a minor league deal.
Ah, now it makes sense! According to the story on the Cardinals’ website about the Crawford signing, not only is Edman not making as much progress as expected, but Donovan hasn’t been cleared to play shortstop yet after last year’s surgery.
If Edman does need to start the season on the IL, they probably still could’ve gotten by with Winn and using Edman’s active roster spot on a AAA MI like Fermin, but now it makes sense why they can’t just Donovan as that extra depth.
A part of me was hoping the Braves would go get Crawford for bench depth if not fight Arcia for a starting gig. Braves fans are a little too in love with Arcia at the moment, mostly because of his hot start to last season. The underlying # suggested he was over-performing and right as the all star break was approaching, he tanked bad.
Good lord, why? Why do this to yourself?
Now sign Bauer!
We had backup at SS , Donavan would work well, now we bring in Crawford at 38 years old, Cards need to send Carp packing, at this point him being on the team makes even less sense to me, all Carps presence does is block young talent from playing time.
I was agreeing with you until just a few minutes ago when I read that Donovan hasn’t been cleared to play shortstop after the surgery that ended his season last August.
In hindsight, they probably wouldn’t have signed Carpenter, but they weren’t aware at the time that they would need that extra SS depth.
If the Cardinals sign any more Dinosaurs they will have to rename Busch Stadium Jurassic Park
Dinosaurs like Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker which are both going to be 22? What about Burleson who will be 25 next year? Or do you mean the 25 year old Carlson or the 23 year old Herrera or Gorman?
Yikes! LOL I heard Pujols is still available too.
I think it is a great move.
I don’t recall seeing Votto official retired. He’d probably like to join the bridge club.
Let the buyer beware.
Cardinals trying to reunite the 2016 All Stars.
Looks like Buddy Kennedy gets the DFA.
Not a lot of 40-man roster space on most teams this time of year. I hope they just cut him loose. Too many of those guys in Memphis.
He should have just rode off into the sunset and counted his millions
Cardinal fans will love Crawford’s leadership and attitude. He can still pick it fairly well and he will have some clutch hits. I still can’t believe he’s not a Giant any longer. He was also an iron man for years for the Giants. Had some injuries the last couple years which I believe contributed to his bat tailing off a lot. I hope he helps the Cards. Standup guy for sure. Good luck to him and the Cards
Didn’t see Crawford to much but when I did em he looked alot older than he is. Everything was slow, his bat, his range seemed limited, n he had statistically horrid yr. Sum players do lose it overnight especially in mid thirties. Become shadow of their prior professional abilities as they hit unevitable age-related decline. Ol Man Time never loses.
Very smart signing by the Cards. Brandon Crawford’s an exceptional – and exceptionally smart – player and teammate.