MLB Rumors: Cardinals passed on two-time gold glover in favor of Brandon Crawford

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the 2023 MLB season with expectations of repeating as National League Central champions. Things clearly went awry for the team. For a long time, St. Louis prided themselves on good play on the mound, but the Cardinals' pitchers ranked 24th in ERA (4.79) and 20th in opponent's batting average (.279). They finished 29th in strikeouts (1,215), whiff percentage (22.8) and chase percentage (26.2).

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak spent the offseason conducting an internal audit of the team to avoid a repeat of the disastrous season in 2024.

“We knew our starting pitching going into the season could have some volatility into it,” Mozeliak said in November. “But instead of going and adding an additional arm or two, we rolled the dice, if you will, to try and do it. In hindsight, of course, I would have done something different.”

St. Louis entered this offseason with a focus on adding depth. While their flurry of additions mostly focused on the starting rotation and bullpen, the Cardinals also signed three-time All-Star Brandon Crawford to add middle infield depth.

Before signing Crawford, St. Louis reportedly had conversations with another Gold Glove winner — Nick Ahmed.

St. Louis Cardinals expressed interest in signing Nick Ahmed

Ahmed talked to the Cardinals as well but nothing ever materialized, according to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale.

Ahmed spent his entire 10-year career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He struggled last year while recovering from a shoulder surgery in 2022, hitting .212 with two homers and a .560 OPS as a backup. The two-time Gold Glove winner started just 56 games and was released three weeks before the end of the season.

Ahmed, who will turn 34 this year, ultimately signed with the San Francisco Giants — which, coincidentally, happens to be the same team Crawford just left.

In his 13 years with the Giants, Crawford won two World Series, earned four Gold Glove awards and set the franchise record for most games played at shortstop. The 37-year-old struggled last season as well, slashing just .194/.273/.314. The Giants no longer believed in Crawford as a viable option and only offered him a minor-league deal, so he elected to join St. Louis instead.

St. Louis also added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson to their starting rotation. Both Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available in free agency if St. Louis is looking to add more depth.

St. Louis will hope Crawford can return closer to his 2021 form, when he finished fourth in voting for the National League MVP award. Despite their disappointing 2023 campaign, the Cardinals are still expected to finish atop the National League Central standings — especially if Gibson and Lynn can perform at the back of the rotation.