Brandon Crawford receives six year extension from Giants
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has been extended by the team for six seasons. His extension is worth $75,000.000.
The Giants have been expressing interest in extending Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford for quite some time. They finally got the deal done. Crawford has been extended for six years. He will receive a total of $75,000,000 during those six years. He will receive a full no-trade clause from the Giants.
Source: Crawford six-year deal with #SFGiants is for $75M. Full no-trade. No option years.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 17, 2015
This is what the Giants do. They are a big market team who usually doesn’t splurge in free agency. They tend to spend most of their money keeping their own players. That can be a flaw at times (Tim Lincecum), but it’s hard to argue with their strategy because it has worked. They’ve won three World Series titles in six seasons. They’re clearly doing something right.
Brandon Crawford will be turning 29 next January. The deal will cover two years of arbitration and his first four seasons of free agency. He will become a free agent after the 2021 season. Crawford has always be phenomenal with the glove. He’s arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball not named Andrelton Simmons.
Brandon Crawford seems to have finally figured things out at the plate as well. He batted .256 with a .321 on-base percentage and a .462 slugging percentage. He hit 21 home runs and had 84 RBIs as he emerged as one of the Giants best hitters. He led all MLB shortstops with a 4.7 WAR (wins above replacement). Since the beginning of 2012, Crawford ranks fourth among all qualfied shortstops in UZR (ultimate zone rating) with 24.7 and is tied for second in DRS (defensive runs saved) with 42.
The Giants are smart to extend Crawford now. He’s a guy who the Giants clearly like. He’s an important part of their team. The Giants aren’t a great defensive team, but thanks to guys like Crawford and Posey, the Giants are very strong up the middle. That allows them to have success despite not being that great defensively at other positions.
Look for the Giants to do what they can to re-sign Mike Leake and sign a top of the rotation starter. They could also explore signing an outfielder or first baseman since Brandon Belt has outfield experience.