A longtime San Francisco Giant will play elsewhere this season. Giants fans are a bit shell-shocked about it.
Brandon Crawford, who debuted in 2011 with the Giants, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Crawford’s signing with the Cardinals means his 13-year run with the Giants is over.
The Cardinals made the news official on Tuesday afternoon with a post on X announcing the signing.
“We have signed SS Brandon Crawford to a one-year contract for the 2024 season,” the team wrote.
We have signed SS Brandon Crawford to a one-year contract for the 2024 season.
Crawford, a three-time All-Star, played the past 13 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, where he won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, one Silver Slugger Award and two World Series titles.… pic.twitter.com/7zz1j5Hvp5
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) February 27, 2024
Veteran MLB reporter Susan Slusser later added that the Crawford-Cardinals deal was worth $2 million
Crawford exits San Francisco after a dismal season. He hit just .194 with an OPS of .587, the lowest he’s recorded since his rookie season. He played in just 93 games last year also and a little over 200 in the last two games. 2021 seems like a distant memory now. That’s the last season that Crawford was named an All-Star.
In 2021, he hit .298/.373/.522, good for an OPS of .895, with 24 home runs and 30 doubles.
He’s a lifetime .250 hitter with 146 career home runs. He made the National League All-Star team in 2021, 2015, and 2018. He’s been named a Gold Glove Award winner four times in his career: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2021. He earned the Silver Slugger Award in 2015. And, of course, won two World Series championships with the Giants in the 2012 and 2014 seasons.
The MLB world reacted to the news.
Best of luck in St. Louis, @bcraw35!#GoBruins https://t.co/jSRiwcXNPL
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 27, 2024
Thought this lil Crawford kid would be part of that exclusive Giant for life company.
take care of him #STLCards. 🤮😭Good luck to Bcraw and his family.🙌🧡🖤#SFGiants #ForeverGiant https://t.co/zwD0d1Bkvf pic.twitter.com/ePXvhpHuK0
— M (@thrllsnsplls) February 27, 2024
https://twitter.com/alicialuvssfg/status/1762595185765343439
Why…(and I mean this in the most deep and profound way) would you do this to me? https://t.co/Hk2zz9ShRI
— 🍓 Strawbarry Bonds 11:11 💫 (@EvaLaMorte) February 27, 2024
Devastating news to hear for all the SF Giants fans ❤️🩹. I really thought he would have retired a Giant. Wishing you the best of luck in St. Louis, Brandon. https://t.co/NHc3HwpT4W
— Maddi (@MaddiL0VESyoux) February 27, 2024
