Veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford recently signed with the Cardinals on a one-year, $2MM deal, officially bringing to a close his 13-season tenure at shortstop for the Giants in the majors as well as his sixteen years as a member of the organization. Crawford recently spoke to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic regarding the first foray into free agency of his career and his departure from San Francisco. In doing so, he emphasized that returning to the Giants was a priority for him, but that the sentiment was not reciprocated by San Francisco brass.
“The bottom line is I was not wanted back by the one person whose (opinion) matters,” Crawford told Baggarly in reference to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Crawford went on to note that his camp gave the Giants an opportunity to counter after receiving the offer of a big league deal from the Cardinals last month, though San Francisco offered the veteran only a non-roster deal with an invitation to Spring Training.
2023 was a difficult season for the veteran, as he slashed just .194/.273/.314 in 320 trips to the plate while battling knee, hamstring, calf, and forearm issues throughout the season. Crawford’s defense, once universally regarded as elite, also began to slip somewhat last season. While Statcast’s Outs Above Average placed him in the 90th percentile of qualified fielders with a +6 figure, Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved considered him to be among the worst-fielding shortstops in the majors last year with -14 runs. All of Crawford’s numbers were a far cry from the elite production he posted during his 2021 campaign, when he slashed an excellent .298/.373/.522 at the plate while posting +16 OAA and +6 DRS in the field.
Even as Crawford’s production last year certainly left something to be desired, it’s still somewhat surprising that the Giants seemingly had minimal interest in retaining a face of the franchise with three All-Star appearances and two World Series titles with the club under his belt. After all, he’s just two seasons removed from that aforementioned dominant season that saw him earn his fourth career Gold Glove award while finishing fourth in NL MVP voting. While Crawford’s age-37 season is unlikely to see the veteran outproduce the club’s young, internal options at short such as Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt, the veteran indicated to Baggarly that he made clear in a meeting with Zaidi back in November that he would accept a bench role to remain in San Francisco while mentoring the aforementioned young players.
Zaidi also commented on the situation to Baggarly, noting that while Crawford has “been an important member of this team and a real leader in the clubhouse” and stated his willingness to accept a smaller role with the club in 2024, he had concerns that Crawford’s presence would put additional pressure on the club’s young players to perform and potentially hinder their development.
“Having the greatest shortstop in franchise history on the bench … it was just going to create a dynamic where it was going to be harder for our young players to play with a margin of error,” Zaidi told Baggarly.
In addition, Zaidi indicated that Crawford, who had never appeared in the majors at a position other than shortstop until working a single inning on the mound last year, may not have been able to provide the club with the positional versatility necessary to secure a spot on the club’s bench. While the club seemingly intended to move Crawford off shortstop last season should their now-infamous failed deal with Carlos Correa have been finalized, Zaidi suggested the club was hoping to fill out its bench with a player both capable of playing the infield and the outfield as well as a potential threat on the basepaths.
Crawford has never played the outfield at any professional level and has just 47 stolen bases for his career, with his only 10-steal season coming during his career season back in 2021. Given those limitations, it seems the Giants preferred to go with one of the club’s internal bench options rather than commit to Crawford on a big league deal. In conversation with Baggarly, Zaidi pointed to Tyler Fitzgerald as one player already in the organization who fits the versatile role the club is hoping to fill, with Otto Lopez and Brett Wisely among other speculative options already on the club’s 40-man roster.
Would rather have prime Albert Pujols.
Giant mistake; I predict a little bit of a bounce back year for Crawford. SF must REALLY love their kids not to keep Crawdaddy around for one more season…
The guy was 37% below league average (63 OPS+), and actively hurt the team with his performance (-1.3 rWAR).
You said the magic word, though- he was hurt. He’s beneficial to STL if he stays healthy. We’ll see!
Was he hurt in 2022? Because he was bad that year also.
Hurt has been a theme for a lot of years. Part of the problem.
pretty much ever since the big 2021 season when he signed the extension parts started falling off
bag,
Your comment reminded me of this Monty Python bit:
youtu.be/lLMBHvDNYiU
“He was hurt”..Being “hurt” is a common excuse for below average output. Rendon often uses it, Bryant often uses it and Correa often uses it, to excuse and explain their declining performance.
You ever play baseball while injured? It’s really not as easy as you’d think sometimes
Gwynning
“Giant mistake”
Nah
He’s not an impact player. He’s not the difference between contending or not contending. Bis leaving isn’t going to turn away fans in droves
A largely inconsequential decision
Impact player? Not anymore, no. Big boost as a bench player, pinch hitter and clubhouse DJ? Yes. And I factor experience, leadership and all around savviness into that DJ job title. He would have continued to help the SF kids tremendously in this regard, but I do understand the “largely inconsequential business decision aspect” to this instance. It is minor, but I am calling this a mistake by the SF FO. Just calling it how I see it, not trying to point ill-willed inter-Divisional fingers at anyone. We have our own mistakes to own, we know.
Gwynning
Thanks for the intelligent reply
I don’t really disagree with anything that you said, other than it being a mistake
As I said, I think it’s a mostly inconsequential (for the team) decision. If they had brought him back, that would have been fine. That they didn’t is also fine.
@Gwynning I don’t disagree with not bringing Crawford back, although I think it would be fine if they did also. But Zaidi’s excuse for not bringing him back is ridiculous.
Possible. But free agency gives the player a choice of his next team and contract. It also gives teams the choice of who they do or don’t want to sign. Is what it is.
if he was signed to a major league deal it would take a spot away from a younger guy on the roster. I 100% get the offering a non-roster deal since the move going forward should be to have luciano and possibly fitzgerald and schmitt taking the role and having a veteran presense if necessary – which is what they did in signing ahmed.
crawford is really taking away a roster spot of a player who’s going to be DFA’d at a later time.
none of the guys he would be competing with will be DFAd, the fact that you think that shows that you don’t understand the way roster construction works. there is a zero chance that luciano, fitzgerald, schmitt are DFAd since they all have years of options and ahmed was signed to a non-roster deal so he can be assigned directly to AAA
Exactly. Crawford should have stayed to mentor the young’uns and taken a bench role. I am sure he could take on any I field role and do a decent job. We are offering positions to many who aren’t proven, at this point. His value to the Giants was given in many forms. Why Panda? Brandon deserves a spot on the roster and would earn it in plenty of ways. Train them up! Show them hard work and responsibility, day in and day out, with workouts, with how you interact with teammates/coaches/staff.
I don’t agree with how this went down. At all.
roster vs non roster dude
Totally agree.
“Giant mistake” or “Giants mistake?” Or both?
More the latter, but I was playing off the pun. Cheers all
He was godawful. Got fat and sucked. Should be grateful Zaidi gave him 2/32m instead of whining.
Worthington
“He was godawful. Got fat and sucked. Should be grateful Zaidi gave him 2/32m instead of whining.”
Muted (not the type of comment that makes me think you’ll ever have anything intelligent to say)
Worthington,
How many professional athletes go away quietly, acknowledging their time is done? Sure, some do, but these guys have been the best in the world at what they do their entire careers, and accepting it’s over has to be very difficult.
Craw’s the best. But he’s 37 and a depth piece now. Better to be a backup someplace other than SF . Or DFA’d somewhere other than SF.
Doubt it….he is already 37 and coming off back to back poor years. That’s not a recipe for success.
Gonna be weird to see him in another uniform. He was the last one from the 2010s dynasty
If Panda makes the roster out of spring training, then a link will remain.
Posey is an owner now.
Should have kept Crawford and jettisoned Farhan. What a loser this clown is. Fire him already.
ok boomer
This is Farhan making a very tough but correct decision. Crawford will always have a place in the fond memories of fans, but as the Giants did with Rich Aurillia and Omar Vizquel before Brandon, shortstops in their mid-late 30’s are not the shortstops they were in their mid-late twenties. Crawford’s lack of versatility probably made that decision easier. His recent injury history differs greatly from his earlier rock solid presence because a 37 year old is not rock solid anymore, another reason to not expect to get a full season out of him.
Tough call but the right call. I wish him well.
Welcome to St. Louis. He seems like a good guy and should be a great mentor to Masyn Winn.
Absolutely zero sarcasm detected.
That’s enough, gwynning
Back at ya “Owensboro”
😉
Not at all actually. There was no veteran SS on the roster, and A four time GG fits the bill pretty well.
they had a big appreciation day for him at the end of the year and had his family on the field and let him say goodbye to the fans and all that. Dude should’ve called it a career like everyone expected. Sad way to go out squeezing sour grapes…
Uh compare that to Hunter Pence and his leaving. That was quite something – and much as I adore Hunter and would never change what happened, B-Craw deserved a day like that with a new minivan!! It just stunk, the way it ended.
pressure on the younger players… really?
That is typical Farhan BS.
I actually get it from the FO’s perspective. Time to move forward and see what they have in their youth.
Absolutely love Crawford, but this is a time to look forward not back. Giants will be in a battle for third place in the division and need to give younger guys a chance. 100% the reason Crawford couldn’t comeback is dumb Giants fans who would want him over any of the young guys despite his injuries and huge drop in production.
Time to retire, Crawdaddy
RH
“Time to retire, Crawdaddy”
The time to retire is when he wants to retire
Time to retire is:
ANY ONE OF THESE:
When you have lost the drive and desire to perform.
When your body will not permit you to be at your best.
When your mind is no longer as sharp as it once was.
When no employer considers you a candidate for a position.
When technology has steamed past you and left you in the dust.
When your employer has changed ownership
When your employer has changed management
When the employer is about to do one or both of the above two
When the employer decides to go younger
When the employer decides to go cheaper
When you become “Too Old” as compared to younger candidates.
When you become “Too Expensive” as compared to other candidates.
These apply to non-sports employment
as well.
Jacksson
“When your body will not permit you to be at your best.”
Nah. Otherwise athletes would be retiring almost immediately.
“When your mind is no longer as sharp as it once was.”
Nah. Otherwise people would be retiring almost immediately.
“When you have lost the drive and desire to perform.
When no employer considers you a candidate for a position
When technology has steamed past you and left you in the dust.
When your employer has changed ownership
When your employer has changed management
When the employer is about to do one or both of the above two
When the employer decides to go younger
When the employer decides to go cheaper
When you become “Too Old” as compared to younger candidates.
When you become “Too Expensive” as compared to other candidates.”
Nah. There are lots of other opportunities – other fields, starting your own business.
@Jacksson 13. Don’t waste your time replying to him. He gets in his feelings easily and can’t handle opinions differing from his own. Then, he’ll mute you and make a post about it. He’s got some unresolved issues, to put it mildly.
The trend seemed pretty obvious for Crawford. Decline both at the plate and in the field with mounting injuries that tend to come with getting older. Relying on Crawford wouldn’t have been in the best interest of the club.
I dislike Farhan more than just about anyone, because he is terrible at roster construction, but not bringing Crawford back was the right call. Bringing in Ahmed, who can be DFA’ed at anytime without fan backlash was smart if they weren’t going to try to trade for Adames or someone similar.
Hate is the appropriate word. If you are posting negativity about him every day, it’s hate. Don’t be kidding yourself with the dislike BS. It’s weak. You hate.
No, I don’t hate him. He seems like an alright guy from the interviews I’ve heard with him. I absolutely hate his roster building philosophy, and the performance of the team under his guidance. I think he is vastly overrated and should be let go. I think he is probably a good asset to have in a front office, but I don’t think he should be running one. I do, however, absolutely hate that weirdo Gabe Kapler.
When you are a grown man coming up with childish stuff like farthands, and then repeating it like you are patting yourself on the back for being so clever, you hate. Either that or you are a 14yo trapped in a man’s body. Take your pick.
You hate him because he does what his bosses want, not what you want.
serious question here: Is there like a history of comments by each user you have access to? Or does tedtheodorelogan just post enough that you recognize him? If options 1 or 2 aren’t true then it seems like old ted is just living rent free in your head.
Dude. Every farking day. If you don’t want to support, don’t support. Fark off and do something else. But no, they say they aren’t supporting but then stick around and try and spoil the experience for those that do. You are an idiot if you choose to support. It’s farked up.
So yes, absolutely rent free in my head.
don’t bother trying with this glazer down here. reality is not the strong suit of ol’ fop
Oh look. The coward returns for a little jab !
That saying “living rent free in your head” is tossed around way to liberally. You’d have a point if @fop just came to the comments and immediately started talking about @ted for no good reason.
Even without knowing the history @fop provided that @ted is constantly spouting negativity, do you really believe a comment starting with “I dislike Farhan more than just about anyone, because he is terrible at roster construction” that is in favor of a move being made is the content from a well-meaning character?
“Hate is the appropriate word”…So having a different opinion than you is “hate”?..Gotcha.
Nope. It’s how you express yourself. With respect or without respect.
@mlb
You are either deliberately misrepresenting @fop’s point, or are incapable of understanding nuance.
It doesn’t even seem like they particularly disagree with each other. It’s that even when @ted comes out in support of a move made by Farhan, he begins it by putting him down. Pair that with his usual brand of negativity that he brings to almost all Giants stories, and it isn’t very challenging to see how @fop arrived at making the suggestion @ted “hates” Farhan.
You’re not respectful at all. Might wanna take a look at yourself before you speak.
What a ridiculous statement. Having Crawford around would put too much pressure on the young-uns. Then bring in someone like Enzo Hernandez so they can learn from a lousy player!
@DodgerOK
Sadly, Enzo passed away in 2013.
#11 ENZO…Hernandezzz!
Perhaps only someone that understands the Giants would understand the pressure that Crawford on the roster would create. And also, did you miss the part about Nick Ahmed?
He was DONE last year – that bus ran out of gas, maybe STL gets a little spark, but better to have moved a player a year early than a year late.
In this case its a year late but Giant abided by contract – anything else would just be fubar with Crawford.
Am sure Crawford once he realizes he is done will be back as coach. or talent evaluator with giants
totally – for all the people complaining about him not getting re signed – you guys didn’t see the last couple of years where his glove wasn’t what it used to be at all. time catches up to all of us and I am totally fine with letting the youth take over
I wouldn’t want him back after that public disrespect of a club that gave him the lifestyle he enjoys, even after his quality of play had plummeted. Over/under on how many IL stints in ’24? 4
Actually, it could be argued that this is two years too late. Had the Giants correctly anticipated that his stellar 2021 season would not, or could not, be close to being replicated, and let him walk then, the Giants might have done better in the last two seasons.
I mean you can argue that 2021 really screwed them up – there was a bunch of ‘running it back’ that went on after the 107 win season when there should have been more major overhauls . this season you finally see the major overhauls happening which may not pay off this year but in the long run is going to be better for the team
Oh waaaaa, poor widdle Craw. Talk about tarnishing your reputation with Giants fans. You were fat and couldn’t hit, why would they want to take up a precious roster spot with you? Just for the memories? Sorry, brah, it’s a business and a game we’re trying to win. You could’ve left with dignity. Do you comprehend how damn lucky you were to get that wayyyy over pay extension from the guy you now bash? If you had performed even near league average without spending weeks at a time on the IL you would’ve been offered a new contract, but overeating was apparently more important.
Be thankful you got a contract from anyone. I suspect you’ll be enjoying your first of many trips to the IL by April 15.
How do you really feel?
Not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.
He was fat.
Zaidi just doesn’t get it. I don’t care what the numbers say, if you think having BC on the team would be hurting the team then you haven’t watched many SF games. I predict BC will have a pretty good year just to stick it up Zaidi’s a**! He’ll be starting by mid June & he’ll have double figures in HR’s & over 50 ribis. Watch. Meanwhile the front office is pretending to be in on Boras’ guys, but that’s just so they can tell the fanbase “we tried.” SF ownership could care less about wins. This once proud franchise has turned into a trainwreck. Very sad
Craw had 1 HR and 4 RBI’s. Farhan made many mistakes but this wasn’t one of them.
I give the Farhan & the Giants credit for rejecting the St. Louis Cardinals style of the never ending nostalgia signings of feeble past their prime husks of baseball players in a cynical money grab. Also credit to Farhan for protecting the organization’s future relationship w/ Crawford and his ego with this giggle-worthy reasoning for moving on. Everybody knows why the Giants moved on; the Giants know why, Crawford knows why and the fans know why. They all know his time in MLB is coming to a close.
This post is pretty much spot-on.
Hello Panda!
Panda lost a ton of weight and toned up. He’s in way better shape than Crawbaby.
So you’ve seen Crawford in uniform lately?
Yep. Saw footage yesterday. Panda could beat him home to first easily.
I felt as uncomfortable reading this as watching a couple argue in front of me.
when he plays like garbage for the Cards will he claim to be hurt again ?
Sounds like sour grapes to me….EVERY players day comes….It was time for SF to move on from a great player from their franchise. It’s not dis-respect, its business. Talents fade and it’s time to move on.
Sorry to see this. There is no doubt he was beloved by the fan base.
I thought he had more class than this. They were very kind to him at the end of last season, and gave him a fitting tribute. Some people just have difficulty exiting gracefully.
wild how many people will stick up for an arrogant failure like farhan rather than have empathy for a franchise legend who was treated coldly by the mechanical FO. you do you though. crazy how many poors love to stick up for billionaires instead of their millionaire employees. I respect the people who have actually accomplished something in life, while giving fans wonderful memories over a guy who knows how to run a spreadsheet and say “nope. I’m the boss, don’t care what anyone else says”
I can’t have empathy for someone paid 16M a year for playing a child’s game, doing so poorly, and then whining when the team wants to move on. I’ll save my sympathy for those truly suffering.
They really weren’t kind to him last season. They were ready to boot him off SS for Correa without even having discussed it with Crawford. They could have handled him better then as well as now.
Amen to this. I could tell something was off by reading his Mom’s Instagram. It was handled badly, the Correa thing and the whole ending situation. I was there on the last day game and I didn’t think it was nearly as big a deal as Pence got. Awkward and behind the scenes, disrespectful. I do blame Farhan for that. Brandon deserves far better than that day that seemed so haphazardly planned.
I highly doubt this was just sour grapes on Crawford’s part. He’s a savvy veteran and knows to choose his battles wisely. I would imagine there’s a reason he singled out Zaidi, no doubt because others in the organization feel the same way many fans do about his poor job at the helm. Maybe he can finally turn things around this year – seems like he’s actually trying for the first time instead of hoping to get lucky on statistical anomalies. Going into this year the Gs have zero stars. Not a single face-of-the-franchise or fan favorite style player. I would hope Zaidi’s on a very short leash.
So, making equivalent, and market-value offers, to players like Harper, Judge, Correa, Ohtani, and Yamamoto is just hoping to get lucky on statistical anomalies?
It’s all very curious; I mean, we’re still waiting to see whether Zaidi signs Snell, Montgomery, or Chapman, all of whom they could use. My question is, why can’t he close a deal? I understand why Judge and Ohtani didn’t want to come to SF and be a part of a toothless lineup that could cause them to be walked 200+ times. But somehow he’s unable to make a compelling case for most free agents. I feel like a creative approach and creating compelling reasons (financially and otherwise) to come to SF would pay better dividends.
My other sense is that he’s just not willing to assume the risk of longer-term contracts for fringe stars – something that unfortunately other teams are willing to risk. The Gausmans and Rodons have turned into the Striplings, Woods, and Hanigers, and if he’s not willing to put more skin in the game, this risk-averse strategy will cost him his job this year. The team looks that bad.
The risk-averse strategy might be dictated by ownership, but if that’s the case, his inability to convince them otherwise is part of the problem, and he’ll pay the price for it.
The truth is Zaidi does not have a problem getting to FAs to sign. His problem in getting one of the limited number of premier FAs to sign, which is a problem that many teams have had. The NYYs, Mets, Cubs, Phillies, Red Sox, Jays, etc. all were in on the same premier guys as the Giants.
Last season Zaidi signed more of the top 50 FAs than any other team. Fangraphs had a good article about how Judge opting for the NYYs, and the Correa landmine, wrecked the Giants’ offseason. But that Zaid did just about everything he possibly could to build the roster.
This season he’s signed 3 of the top 21 FAs. Of those 21 only the Dodgers also signed 3, with the Cubs and D’backs the only teams to sign 2.
Zaidi critics only care about winning this year, and are willing for Zaidi to throw money on what could very likely become an albatross. And if it did, those same people would probably be the most vocal about how stupid Zaidi was to give someone like Snell 6 or 7 years.
The Zaidi critics only do simplistic bottom-line analysis. If the Giants didn’t make the playoffs, despite mitigating factors, then Zaidi needs to go. It takes more insight and in-depth analysis to truly judge Zaidi’s performance.
I’m not without criticism of some of his individual moves. But I also realize no matter who the PBO was, Harper, Judge, Ohtani, and Yamamoto, weren’t signing with the Giants. And that’s really the biggest complaint, thinly veiled as the inability to close a deal.
That’s a nice intelligent response. Where do you think the Giants will land this year?
I guess my point was about landing foundational talent given that I’m quite pessimistic about their prospects. The strikeout numbers for their position players are shocking, and the walk number for a lot of their pitching prospects – including Harrison – concern me. I would love to see a breakout year from somebody, but this team will require more than one to compete.
I think they have a shot at a WC. They were competitive last season for the 3/4s of the season. I think the way they fell off a cliff, had a lot to do with Kapler.
Zaidi has improved the team, if not greatly. I think Lee is going to be a pleasant surprise. As usual it will come down to injuries.
I think they have decent depth. Fangraphs just did an article projecting how each team will do with 1 through 10 of their top players out. And where the projections for some teams drop precipitously, they don’t for the Giants. All they need to do is stay within striking distance until they get Cobb and Ray back.
But you’re correct about the hitters striking out too much. That wouldn’t bother me that much, if they walked more and had a better team OBP.
But for the pitchers it isn’t easy to judge simply on the numbers. Walks can be a tactical move. How many are lead-off walks, walks in front of the other team’s best hitter? Harrison actually wasn’t that bad, with only a 2.9 BB/9. Some individuals might struggle more than others, but as a team, they led MLB last season in fewest walks allowed last season.
I love Matos, I think he’s going to be good. But as for the prospects, no one will know for sure until we see them play for awhile.
“…they led MLB last season in fewest walks allowed last season.”
This comes directly from the department of redundancy department.
By the way, Snell lead the MLB in walks allowed (99), something the anti-Farhan crowd doesn’t mention. His history with walks allowed is the primary reason I would never sign him to a large contract if I were GM. It has albatross written all over it.
Clearly a lot of GMs feel that same way. Snell’s not getting that long-term deal.
I don’t think it’s really fair to mention the 99 walks and not the 234 strikeouts.
And is a 3- or 4-year deal to 31-year-old Blake Snell really an albatross? Is it as much of an albatross as the 6-year deal the Yankees gave to Rodon? What about the 5-year deal given to Gausman? You can come out on either side here – that’s just the risk.
You make some good points. I’d say a 3 year deal for someone like Snell is not only not an albatross, but is close to ideal. Even 4 years doesn’t have a huge risk of becoming an albatross. But 6 years for a pitcher is scary.
Every team is willing to accept players being overpaid towards the end a deal as their production declines. But no team wants to be paying big bucks for maybe 3 years for subpar production. Every FA signing is a gamble, but long term deals for pitchers are the biggest gambles.
I’m glad Zaidi didn’t give Rodon that same deal. I understood him passing on Gausman, but in hindsight re-signing him was the better move.
I agree with your analysis Dingrrrs. Like many who post on this website, there appears to be quite a bit of skepticism about Farhan’s approach. No doubt, this is one more nail in his coffin with those folks.
I have great respect for Zaidi. He inherited a very difficult situation on many fronts. One of his challenges was dealing with the heroes, who always have difficulty accepting that Organizations have to move on, and their time is up.
$2M is not so much that the Cardinals won’t hesitate to release him mid-season if he doesn’t perform. There’s a season for everything, especially for athletes, and if it hurts to have to see the end, it’s because a lot of these guys don’t decide to go out on their own terms. It would be nice to see Crawford have a useful year in which he’s able to contribute, and then hang them up. But with baseball having moved to gigantic pitching staffs, if there’s no room on the roster and he’s not adding anything, he’s going to be cut loose..
Obviously I’m a cards fan… I kinda like having Crawford now and he and Ozzie can maybe work with Wynn… what they could possibly provide as far as knowledge could be priceless. Also, you are correct, 2 mil is nothing to a team… so, since he was a face of the franchise a d a guy that really wanted to retire as a giant why wouldn’t you just pay him? Call it a farewell tour call it doing the right thing…. 2 million to an mlb team is like buying a mcdouble at mcdonalds… 13 years in and all the accolades and moments and Brandon Crawford wasn’t worth a mcdouble to the Giants….
Right on.
“…it’s still somewhat surprising that the Giants seemingly had minimal interest…”
Really? To the contrary, I’m surprised they were willing to offer him a MiL deal with a ST invite.
His leadership and attitude will be missed. Zaidiot didn’t want Crawford pressuring the young shortstops. Give me a break. They need to earn the position and that comes with pressure and being pushed. I am done with Zaidiot. Crawford is still better than Wisely and Luciano may pan out in a couple years, but I’m very sceptical of him. My guess is Ahmed gets a lot of playing time. Also Schmitt is not a shortstop. Crawford is healthy now also and even with his talent decline he’s better than anyone fighting for the backup job. Handing it to Luciano was wrong. He hasn’t earned anything. Sorry about the rant.
Yep
Look I love Craw but this happens to a lot of players, you really have to know when to hang them up to avoid it. On top of that he had some truly great seasons with the Giants but he never was that kind of transformational elite player like Posey was, and let’s face it Farhan is under the gun, he’s not in a position to be Mr. Feel Good right now.
I’ll give Crawford a standing O when he comes to SF but sadly the Cardinals show up only for the last 3 games of the season and he might not be on their team.
Glad Crawford really told what happened, how bad his last 2 years were & Zaidi’s comments.
I’m sure Zaidi is seething over Crawford’s comments. And I’m sure Zaidi will come back with more excuses to try & make Crawford look like the bad guy.
Zaidi needs to remember Crawford will always be a Forever Giant. Crawford will receive a standing ovation when he returns to Oracle Park. Something Zaidi will never receive. And fans will always remember Zaidi as a Dodger in sheep’s clothing while serving as Giants POB – not a true Giant
Zaidi may not be a great GM, but he didn’t cause Crawford’s endless injuries due to a lack of conditioning (read:Fat), poor pitch selection, lack of power, and lack of speed. Credit to Zaidi for letting him go.
he won’t need to. he has a whole cadre of delusional, pocket fondling fans to do it for him all over the internet. You’d not be shocked I bet to see how many randos online scream “racism” at any criticism of farhan’s tenure.
Farhan needs to be fired now !!!!
The hypocrisy of so many posters is so damn obvious BUT it still continues. The list of Giants players that got what were essentially “thank you” deals and were past their prime is extensive. And those deals have been heavily criticized by the same posters that think not signing Crawford is a mistake. Huff, Ross, Cain, Lincecum, and many others. They helped win titles and were rewarded with contracts that far exceeded their prime. Personally, I liked seeing these players rewarded BUT we have learned that these “thank you” deals really served to slow down prospect development and “moving forward”. So Crawfords helps them “move forward”. No it doesn’t. Just as keeping Cain and Lincecum too long kept them from moving forward. Even Bonds hurt forward movement even though his final season were outstanding. So it hurts to say goodbye but I gotta be honest, Crawford seems to be taking the low road when you consider his good friend, Posey, is a part owner and a board member. It’s disappointing to see.
I highly doubt Posey is a big fan of Zaidiot either. Posey will have input on when to get rid of him too. Zaidiot’s days are numbered. Crawford will be back in some capacity in the future. He’s a forever Giant. I commend Crawford for shedding some light on how Zaidiot operates. Brandon Belt probably has some harsh words for him too. I also know Gausman wasn’t happy with Zaidiot.
Some of these fans…
Sign some star players, keep the favorites around, play the prospects !
Really not an easy job finding the balance.
Never easy to let go of a fan favorite, but in this case it was time. Love me some Crawford, but it’s obvious you get more out of Luciano & Fitzgerald on the roster. Past management tended to keep prospects in the minors too long not making the hard decisions on declining vets. There is no way to please all the fans, as most think they know more than management. I’ll wait for opening day and root for that roster, knowing they do the best they can to make the team better. Meanwhile the armchair managers can dwell on conspiracy and hate.
Good post oldg. I’m reminded of how long it took Sabean to give the shortstop job to Aurilia. I’m not sure of the order, but the list of veteran shortstops that were signed because Aurilia was “not ready” to take over: Rey, Viscaino, Dunston. Then when he took over and was pretty special some, I was one, had wished he had taken over earlier. Sabean may have been right. Who knows for sure if he could have taken over earlier and had that success? But I remember being frustrated thinking “damn, they really like him. They think he’ll be pretty good. Great! Then play him” It just seemed to take too long. Personally I don’t think Luciano is ready but I’d rather see Fitzgerald get a shot before they hand it too Ahmed. I predict Ahmed will not begin the season in SF. Anyway, oldg, do you remember the Aurilia hesitation?
So I did a little research to see how accurate my Aurilia recollection is. Dunston and Aurilia split time in 96 (Clayton had been traded after 95). Vizcaino was the full time SS in 97. Rey Sanchez and Aurilia split time in 98 as Aurilia really began to emerge as a star SS. Then he took over completely in 99. So Aurilia was getting valuable grooming 96-98. But was never THEE guy until 99.
I do remember that situation. Ritchie was my favorite player for years. It always seemed like other teams had these young prospects coming up in their early twenties. Usually not the case with SFG.
In more recent years that has improved with guys like Timmy, Madbum & Panda. Another lull since then until now. This could be a good year to try out the youth. Some are looking pretty good !
Love the Lee signing and hope it leads to a better running, run producing game.
Matos 2 hrs today. I’m kinda excited about him. I think a trade might be coming before reg season. Conforto maybe. Free up $18 mil to sign Snell and Chapman. Btw, Chapman and JD Davis are buds from Fullerton days. Chapman played 3rd and Davis left field and first base. So a lot could still transpire imo.
I was a little disappointed Conforto’s game. I thought he would hit for better average, and have more than warning track power. He was worth the gamble then, but not the comeback I expected. Dunno how much trade value is there, but Matos might be a better choice. Especially with the predominantly left handed outfield as it stands.
Yah, they’d probably have to agree to pay some of the $18 mill. And right handed power plays better there. That’s why im pro Chapman and was anti bellinger
Crawford was a fabulous Giant and wish him nothing but the best. Ahmed, who is probably equal to Crawford at this point, signed a minor league contract and will fill the void if the young guys aren’t ready or falter to start the season. It will be weird seeing him in a Cardinal uniform but I don’t disagree with how this was handled. Even Mays put on another jersey at the end of his career.
So many sub 200 hitters getting pretty good paychecks. And they want to expand. Ridiculous.
Right, I will never understand why teams opt for washed-up players rather than allowing a minor leaguer come up and allow them to improve as they play. It wouldn’t be any worse.
The Cardinals will Now give any veteran a Farewell tour!!!! There has to be a reason that SF has trouble signing players. The Cardinals and Giants are both equally screwed up and morally lacking. I like any team more than St.Louis and live here lol. The Cardinals year after year do bare minimum and watch every game get sold out and collect bank!!
Who will have the better season??
Crawford vs Carpenter
Let’s get ready to RUUUUUMBLE!!!!!!!
How about Crawford or Donnie Walton or even Nick Ahmed
Crawford over Carpenter
It’s tough understanding when your time is up. He needs to hang up his cleats and bask in the glory of a fine career.
Can we please get some consistency on fielding stats? “While Statcast’s Outs Above Average placed him in the 90th percentile of qualified fielders with a +6 figure, Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved considered him to be among the worst-fielding shortstops in the majors last year with -14 runs.” These are supposedly two widely accepted metrics and yet one is saying he is on the top 10th percentile and the other one is saying that he was one of the worst fielding shortstops.
I believe Crawford will help the Cards this year. We’ll see though.
It’s hilarious how many people in here think Farhan is 1: the GM and 2: brought in to sign every superstar imaginable. He was literally brought in to build up the farm system, and do exactly the opposite of what Bobby Evans did…sign/trade for over priced names and deplete the farm.
PBO is effectively a GM but lured from another time with a fake job title to make it look like a promotion, as is common knowledge. Not sure what your point is on that – very few people even know the name of the Gs GM as Zaidi is the public mouthpiece. As for the farm system, five years in and the Giants’ farm system is still in the bottom of the rankings. Who was the last successful 1st round pick? Bailey has a shot at it, but they have a horrible track record at developing top-level players.
One reason farm is not ranked high is that several prospects are now not on the farm. Farm took a hit with 13 or so making ML debut. And 5 years is not a ton of time. For example, the only Dodger first round pick in the last 5 years to have MLB success is Bobby Miller. And the 8 first rounders that preceded Zaidi have been pretty bad. Beede, Crick, Arroyo, to name 3. So your PBO = GM may be true but this bashing of the farm development that yourself and so many others want to dog on Zaidi about is getting tired. It’s not factual. Btw, after 2 years under Zaidi it was top 10 . True, some was based on prior regime (Bart Luciano) but some was based on players drafted post Evans/Sabean. Lastly Evans was GM and Sabean was POBO prior to Zaidi.
Crawford had a great career, but I think he’s in denial and needs to hang it up. It’s not for the money, he’s probably going to take home $1mil after taxes and agent fees.
He seems a bit selfish, the past 2 seasons were forgettable, especially 2023. He has a wife and 5 kids at home, it’s to grow up and let the younger players take over the game.
$1 mil is still a good chunk of change. Especially when you have to support 5 kids….
I don’t know if you’re serious, but if you are do you think he needs it? I don’t, I get it he wants to play and I’m sure it’s not easy to do if you think you can still play.
He’s made $102mill in his career. He made $560k in 2014 and in his 1st year of arbitration jumped up to $3.1mil. He went below his pre-arbitration salary 10 years ago to do this.
Well, he got an offer to sit on the bench and mentor young talent for $2 mil. Who says “no” to the easy money?
Boo hoo. Give back the money you stole the last two years then maybe. Farhan made the right decision. He is capable of being right every now and then.
Dude needs a better financial planner. Playing for $2mill away from home when you’ve made close to $100 mill in your career is an act of desperation. And this from a guy who has a Crawford jersey.
Craw was done for 2 Full seasons now. Adding one more would have been a farewell party. And a roster spot to essentially take up with a player who won’t add much. But – He would add veteran perspective that absolutely is valuable. Adding Melvin to the mix changes what Farhan Calls pressure. The young guys are going to grow up fast with Melvin, not have a free for all with Kaplers laid back style. Young players get lost in the mix with that type of leadership. They need discipline. Having Craw to instill that under a newer regime would have been a bonus. But his playing days are over. His ego is talking for him. Yes Farhan was the deciding factor. And yes Farhan Sucks. But having Craw on the team pressures Farhan first and most. Too bad Farhan stuck his foot in his mouth slightly. But his stupid giggles won’t save him from a long season of no Pitching.
He can maybe borrow money from his brother in law Gerritt Cole.
Zaidi received the benefit of a Last Dance type season from the dynasty team. After firing Kapler, he has no one but himself to blame for a lack of success.
He’s probably gone by September.
We can hope
Hinder their development? Having a mentor like Crawford is the best thing for a young shortstop. Farhan just lies through his teeth making bad excuses for bad decisions. They need to can this clown.
The Giants should have found a way to stick with one of their iconic players.
The farewell tour was last season. The team took a -1.3 WAR and paid him $16mil to allow him that opportunity.
If the team needed a mentor for the younger players, he could have asked to be a coach. But he wants to take up a roster spot on a team that needs to focus on the future not the past. When he came up, he took over for an aging Miguel Tejada who was DFA’d by August.
It’s the cycle of life.
He sucks now. It was time for SF to move on.