Cardinals sign Crawford to 1-year deal reportedly worth $2M
The St. Louis Cardinals signed veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford to a one-year contract, the club announced Tuesday.
The pact is worth $2 million, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Crawford, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, is expected to back up rookie Masyn Winn at short while the Cardinals wait for Tommy Edman to recover from wrist surgery, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
St. Louis had reportedly been looking for infield help with Edman's status murky for Opening Day.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak stressed that Crawford is not going to be the team's everyday shortstop despite his experience.
"Just to make sure we had some depth there," Mozeliak explained Tuesday, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Also to bring in someone with his resume and what he's been able to accomplish, we think he will be a great resource for Masyn as he continues to develop. Let's be very clear though, this is Masyn's job."
Crawford is coming off arguably the worst season of his 13-year career. In his age-36 campaign with the San Francisco Giants, he hit seven homers with 38 RBIs and a .587 OPS over 93 games.
However, Crawford brings plenty of experience to St. Louis after winning two World Series titles with the Giants. He's played in 1,654 contests, including 1,528 starts at shortstop.
St. Louis designated infielder Buddy Kennedy for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Crawford.