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The St. Louis Cardinals are attempting to claw their way into the postseason. Despite the August swoon that caused the Cardinals to plummet to 19th in the most recent MLB Power Rankings, St. Louis has their shortstop of the future. Masyn Winn has performed admirably in his first full season as the Cardinals’ starting shortstop
While Winn has excelled in the field and improved at the plate with a new hitting approach, his Gold Glove backup has become expendable. Brandon Crawford had spent the season on the outside looking in but today the Cardinals made it official when the team released Crawford, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on X.
The long-time San Francisco Giants shortstop signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Cardinals prior to the 2024 season. The team brought the 14-year veteran in to back up 22-year-old rookie Masyn Winn. However, Winn has been outstanding, leaving Crawford without a significant role.
Unfortunately, when the 37-year-old three-time All-Star did get on the field, he failed to produce offensively. Crawford has always been known as a superb defender with a league-average bat. However, he’s had a miserable season at the plate for the Cardinals, slashing .169/.263/.282 with one home run, four RBI, five runs scored and an OPS+ of just 53 in 28 games.
Crawford won two World Series rings in 13 seasons with the Giants (2012 and 2014). He batted .286 and knocked in five runs while playing great defense in 11 World Series games. Crawford also took home four Gold Glove awards and a Silver Slugger during his time in San Francisco.
The Cardinals have moved on from Brandon Crawford
Crawford had a career year in 2021. In his age-34 season he posted career highs in home runs (24), RBI (90), runs (79), stolen bases (11), OPS (.895), OPS+ (141) and bWAR (6.1). He was selected to his third All-Star game and won his fourth Gold Glove that season while finishing fourth in MVP voting.
Since then, Crawford has experienced a sharp decline in his offensive production and even his once exemplary defense has begun to tail off. In 2023 he posted -1.3 bWAR in 93 games with the Giants. This year, he has -0.2 bWAR in very limited playing time with the Cardinals.
Still, Crawford is just two seasons removed from a positive WAR campaign. Prior to the start of the 2024 season, the veteran shortstop acknowledged his willingness to change positions and considered a move to second base or third – he drew five starts at third base for the Cardinals this season.
It’s certainly possible that a team fighting for a playoff berth takes a flier on Crawford as he could provide depth at multiple infield positions and potentially operate as a defensive replacement late in games. And because the Cardinals released him outright, Crawford doesn’t have to go through the waivers process. Any team that’s interested can sign him for a prorated portion of the league minimum salary.
Of course, Crawford has accomplished a great deal in baseball. He’s a highly decorated player with multiple championships and 29.3 bWAR for his career. At 37, he might be ready to call it quits and officially retire.
