It is always sad to see a beloved player depart. Brandon Crawford, the greatest shortstop in San Francisco Giants history, will be wearing another uniform this season. It is not a surprise. After two injury-plagued, disappointing seasons the 37-year old lost his spot on the depth chart to young Marco Luciano. I can't fault the team for wanting to move on. At some point all ballplayers show their age. This one is hard because Crawford has been such a fun player to watch all these years. He delivered so many great plays with such routine nonchalance that we all got spoiled and expected him to get everything. A hit past BCraw was a real hit! Speaking of hits, he had a heapin' pile of clutch hits. It seemed like he really thrived in the dramatic moments. And of course he was a key man in a bunch of great teams and two World Series championships. Add in the local boy background and the chill vibe, not to mention the luscious locks, and you have yourself an all-time fan favorite. He will be missed. Best of luck, BCraw!
--M.C.
7 comments:
He goes to the Cardinals as Zo commented on earlier.
Here's from MLBTR:
The Cardinals are signing shortstop Brandon Crawford, reports Katie Woo of the Athletic. Earlier today, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle connected the two sides and noted that a deal could come together quickly. It’ll be a major league contract, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The financial details of the pact, which is pending a physical, are not yet publicly known. Crawford is a Wasserman client.
it just seemed logical to me that the team would keep Craw, a lefty hitter, with lots of knowledge in the field to depart to Luciano as the giants back up SS. Unless he is more injured again and cannot play much even as a backup. I am fairly sure the Cards will put him through a physical
Bisbee had a non-ridiculous take on this. Essentially, it risks making Luciano a big leaguer in a way that Ahmed does not, if, say Luciano had a minor injury or a cold spell and Crawford played well....when can you reinstate Luciano without fan discontent? To me, though, it is a reminder of how ruthless baseball can be. It's never "what have you done for me" it's, at best, "what have you done for me lately" and more often "what can you do for me tomorrow regardless." It’s tempting to think that FZ is removing the last vestiges of the Giants before he got there, but I don't think that's it at all. I think one glance at Crawford's age made the decision, all other factors be damned. Ruthless.
Indeed, it is a cruel game.
BCraw may have something left--I wouldn't bet against that. But the Giants have to commit to their young players. It's time. I hate that BCraw is leaving, but I don't blame him for believing in himself and seeking a new opportunity. And I don't blame the Giants for saying goodbye.
2014 was ten years ago. The new people in charge have to put their product on the field. It's time for the new core of young talent to emerge. We may never see the kind of talent run we saw (Cain, Lincecum, Posey, MadBum, Wilson, Panda, BCraw, Belt, Romo . . .) back then but there is only one way to find out and that's LET 'EM PLAY.
Cardinals are giving BCraw $2M for 1 year. He signed a 2-yr, $32M deal with SF for 2022-2023!
The Giants could certainly have afforded $2M. But the team, I imagine, did not want to lowball a franchise icon. It's kind of insulting. It's best that he moves on and lets a different team decide his value.
I'm surprised he's willing to accept such a low figure. Not that it isn't reasonable given his age and recent performance, just that it is quite a pay cut. Perhaps he thinks if he performs well he can turn it into a better deal down the road. Or, he just loves playing and wants to go as long as he can, salary be damned.
in 2021 Craw was 4th in MVP voting if I remember. Also he saw that Omar Vizquel could still play way past age 36 or 37. Until the last 2 years he was a guy that had minimal injuries especially for the type of plays he often made. Now after 2 disappointing years of injuries he will try to make a comeback.
Here's MLBTR talking about BCraw, sourcing a Baggarly story on The Athletic.
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