Perpetually Large Headvertisements to St. Louis

When the Cardinals signed Brandon Crawford to a one-year, $2 million deal earlier this week, the very first thing that popped into my thoughts was a two-word hashtag. I figured it wouldn’t be lengthy earlier than the Giants’ social media accounts would ship out the identical factor they at all times put up in response to the departure of a franchise icon: #ForeverGiant.

Of course, #ForeverGiant is a public relations gimmick, a approach for the group to melt the blow for followers who’re unhappy to see considered one of their favourite gamers retire or, worse, sporting one other group’s uniform. Yet within the case of Crawford, who grew up a Giants fan within the Bay Area and who turned the franchise’s all-time chief in video games performed at shortstop, these two phrases really rang true. They weren’t a ploy; they had been a promise.

That’s why Crawford’s leaving San Francisco is unhappy for a lot of Giants followers and peculiar for the remainder of us. But shifting on from one thing and getting over it should not the identical factor. It was time for the Giants to maneuver on from Crawford, to let him go some place else, even when it wasn’t a straightforward choice.

(Somehow, Crawford may not be the ultimate core member from the 2014 Giants World Series group to play for them. Earlier this month, the group signed Pablo Sandoval to a minor league take care of an invite to spring coaching.)

As Grant Brisbee famous in his column concerning the signing, Giants followers are certain to be notably annoyed that Crawford signed with “the Midwest Dodgers.” That stated, St. Louis is the proper spot for him at this stage of his profession.

The Cardinals entered the winter coming off their worst season in three many years, needing to improve their beginning pitching and fill the management void that doomed the clubhouse final 12 months following the retirements of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols. St. Louis signed a trio of established right-handers — AL Cy Young runner up Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson — to enhance the rotation, and added veteran infielder Matt Carpenter, who spent his first 11 years with the Cardinals, to deal with management duties. Crawford will fill an analogous function.

A 3-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, Crawford, now 37, is not an on a regular basis participant, however the Cardinals don’t want him to be. Instead, he would be the backup shortstop and mentor their rookie starter and high prospect Masyn Winn, who ranks no. 25 on our Top 100 Prospects checklist.

“So it was something that we had been thinking about just to make sure that we had some depth there,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stated of the Crawford signing. “But also bringing in someone with his résumé and what he’s been able to accomplish, we think he’ll be a great resource for Masyn as he continues to develop. Let’s be very clear, though: This is Masyn’s job.”

Backup shortstop turned a extra urgent want for St. Louis because the offseason wore on and it turned obvious that Tommy Edman, who had arthroscopic surgical procedure on his proper wrist in October, may not be able to play by Opening Day. Projected to be the beginning heart fielder upon his return, Edman was additionally going to be the group’s backup shortstop earlier than the Crawford signing.

Injuries and age have caught as much as Crawford. After touchdown on the injured checklist simply twice in his first 11 seasons, he missed 31 days of the 2022 season with knee irritation, and final 12 months, 4 separate accidents value him a mixed 49 days, in response to Baseball Prospectus. In 93 video games final season, he slashed .194/.273/.314 with a 63 wRC+ and 0.4 WAR.

Still, it wasn’t so way back that Crawford was on the high of his sport. In 2021, he slashed .298/.373/.522 with 24 house runs, a 140 wRC+, 6.3 WAR, and completed fourth within the NL MVP voting. The Cardinals hope a few of that’s nonetheless left in him, although from their backup shortstop they’d certainly be content material together with his manufacturing in 2022, when he batted .231/.308/.344 with an 88 wRC+ and a couple of.2 WAR in 118 video games. That’s about what our Depth Charts mission from him, although in far much less taking part in time: a .238/.310/.379 slash with an 89 wRC+ and 0.5 WAR in 189 PA.

It’s price mentioning that, had they introduced him again, Crawford would have dealt with related duties with the Giants, who’re planning to begin prospect Marco Luciano at shortstop this season. The distinction is that Winn is a greater prospect than Luciano, who regardless of his tantalizing uncooked energy is way from a certain factor. Here’s what Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin stated about Luciano after they evaluated him in their put up from final week on the related prospects who didn’t make this 12 months’s Top 100:

Luciano is in “Everson Pereira Purgatory” so far as we’re involved. The muscular 22-year-old has plus-plus energy, however he’s solely really harmful within the very center of the zone. He ran a 64% contact fee final 12 months. If he might play brief, that is perhaps okay given how a lot energy he has, however Luciano’s protection isn’t constant sufficient to think about him a probable shortstop. He has the arm, however his vary and arms should not as dependable. And there actually aren’t many large leaguers, even at shortstop, who make contact at a fee this low. Trevor Story (additionally not the very best shortstop defender, plenty of strikeouts) has been a 74% contact hitter. We’ve moved off Lu fairly considerably.

Considering this, it’s honest to ask why the Giants didn’t re-sign Crawford. One purpose is that they already had a taking part in time crunch of their infield with out him, as Kyle Kishimoto defined earlier at the moment, and they’re reportedly nonetheless serious about signing Matt Chapman, which might solely make issues extra crowded. The Giants even have three different youthful shortstops within the group who might again up Luciano: Casey Schmitt, Otto Lopez and Tyler Fitzgerald. But greater than that, the choice to let Crawford stroll displays the place the group sits relative to the remainder of its division. The Cardinals are a playoff contender within the tight, albeit weak, NL Central, the place the margin for error is tight. It’s true that having a greater backup shortstop most likely gained’t make a lot of a distinction, however it’s by no means a foul thought for a contending membership so as to add depth, particularly if it thinks that participant might have a constructive affect on the clubhouse. Meanwhile, we mission the Giants to complete fourth in a division with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, the reigning NL pennant winner. In letting Crawford go away, the Giants can present a lane for one of many Schmitt-Lopez-Fitzgerald trio to make the Opening Day roster and develop on the large league stage. In the long term, that’s most likely higher for the group.

Obviously, that doesn’t make it any simpler to say goodbye to a #ForeverGiant who’s as beloved as Crawford. Maybe that’s why the Giants deviated from their regular farewell and wished him good luck with out utilizing the hashtag.

Hopefully they imply that, as a result of if luck has something to do with it, they may be capable of see Crawford play significant September video games yet another time: On the ultimate weekend of the common season, the Cardinals come to city and the Bay Area boy comes house.