Two-Time World Series Champion to Sign Deal with St. Louis Cardinals
Update, 3:30 p.m. ET: The Cardinals and Crawford have now agreed to a deal, pending a physical.
Per Katie Woo of 'The Athletic:'
The St. Louis Cardinals are signing three-time All-Star Brandon Crawford, league sources tell The Athletic.
Crawford, 37, is expected to serve as a back-up shortstop behind 21-year-old rookie Masyn Winn while the team awaits further clarity on Tommy Edman’s recovery from wrist surgery. The deal is pending a physical.
2:30 p.m. ET: The St. Louis Cardinals and longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford could be a fit for a potential deal, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Crawford, at 37 three years older than Ahmed, is still talking to teams, according to sources. The Cardinals are among the teams looking for shortstop depth, they’re believed to have strong interest in Crawford and a deal could come together quickly; there is also an AL West team in the mix.
Known as a premium defender, Crawford has four Gold Gloves Awards in his career. He also received MVP votes in two separate seasons. He spent 13 years with the Giants and helped them win two World Series titles.
We heard this offseason that he was potentially willing to move to second or third base, but the Cardinals need help at his traditional position.
A .250 hitter throughout his career, his average has lacked in the last two seasons, making him a tough hitter to project. He hit .231 in 2022 and then hit just .194 in 2023. Crawford played just 93 games last season, hitting seven home runs with 38 RBI.
He hit a career-high 24 homers back in 2021.
The Cardinals are coming off a season in which they finished last in the National League Central. In an effort to turn things around this year, they have signed starting pitchers Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to contracts.
They also are expecting developmental years from young stud prospects like Jordan Walker, who is entering his second season.
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