MLB Rumors: Cardinals sign former SF Giants All-Star as late offseason add

Brandon Crawford is on the move.

On Monday, the San Francisco Giants added shortstop Nick Ahmed in free agency. This ultimately ended any hope of a potential reunion between Crawford and the Giants.

However, another team had been connected to him, one that was in need of some shortstop depth.

That team is the St. Louis Cardinals. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals have signed the veteran shortstop.

MLB Rumors: St. Louis Cardinals sign Brandon Crawford

Crawford, 37, is coming off of a 2023 season in which he slashed .194/.273/.314 and posted a 0.4 fWAR.

With Crawford struggling last season, it's very likely that he is only being added to the Cardinals as a depth piece. Derrick Goold had noted that the Cardinals were indeed looking for a backup.

Crawford does provide some insurance at the shortstop position if anything goes wrong with rookie Masyn Winn. St. Louis doesn't have much depth behind him with Tommy Edman recovering from wrist surgery and likely to begin the season on the injured list.

Crawford was part of the Giants 2012 and 2014 World Series championship teams that beat the Cardinals in the NLCS both times. He would bring some solid veteran leadership to the Cardinals, who already brought back Matt Carpenter to fulfill a similar role.

The shortstop's best season came in 2021 when he hit for a .298 average with 24 home runs and 90 RBI. He is a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, and former Silver Slugger in addition to his two World Series titles.

Since then, Crawford has declined, but he likely will not receive everyday at-bats with St. Louis, as the team is still high on Winn.

But St. Louis certainly could use some insurance at the shortstop position if Winn struggles at the plate, and Crawford can fulfill that role.