The All-Star is, thankfully, not leaving town.
Entering 2021, one of the biggest questions facing the San Francisco Giants was whether it was the last season in orange and black for Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Belt.
We’ve now got an answer to part of that question, as the Giants announced on Friday that Crawford had signed a two-year extension that will keep him in the Bay Area through the 2023 season.
Brandon Crawford will stay in the Bay pic.twitter.com/9u0oYC1EOC
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 13, 2021
The extension is for $32 million over the two years of the deal. Crawford will retain his full no-trade clause due to MLB’s 10-and-5 rules.
The Giants and Brandon Crawford agreed to a two-year, $32 million extension.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 13, 2021
A contract worth $16 million a year seems like a happy middle ground. If Crawford continues to play at his current pace — he’s hitting .296/.364/.540 with excellent defense, made the All-Star team, and will likely receive some MVP votes — it will be an absolute steal for the Giants. But he’s also 34 and having the best year of his career, so some regression should be expected.
The Giants don’t really have any shortstops waiting in the wings. Mauricio Dubón has been optioned, and his status with the team going forward is up in the air. Marco Luciano is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, but only just made his High-A debut. Thairo Estrada is a fun story and a nice talent, but not someone you want to start a season with when you’re contending for a title.
So San Francisco needed to sign a shortstop this offseason, and there figured to be plenty of options. They ended up with the one having the best season, who happens to look best in orange and black.
This is wonderful.