Some Giants fans are angry.
Some are downright livid.
A player who hit .194 last season was not re-signed, and apparently, this is treasonous behavior from Giants director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Look, Brandon Crawford is a Giants legend. He’s arguably the best shortstop in franchise history. No one else will ever wear No. 35 for San Francisco again — that’s the number for the brilliant fielder who is going to have the plaques and statues outside of Oracle Park.
But Crawford agreed to a deal with the Cardinals on Monday. The Giants signed former Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed to a minor-league deal on Monday, too.
And boy, has it gone over poorly.
We can all agree this de-facto swap wasn’t great timing by Zaidi. He invited the question: “Why didn’t the Giants just keep Crawford?”
But the answer to that question is simple:
Brandon Crawford could not under any circumstances be a backup shortstop for the 2024 San Francisco Giants.
San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford (35) glances up after their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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And for the incredible, laudable play he gave the city, region, and team, that’s all he could be for this upcoming edition of the black and orange.
The reason Crawford cannot be a backup was proven — somewhat ironically — by the outpouring of disgust and anger that started Monday and rolled into Tuesday.
There’s a lot of deserved love for Crawford. But that loyalty from the fanbase is also creating some blind spots.
Let’s be crystal clear about this: Crawford stunk last year. He couldn’t hit a lick — his bat speed was in the tank — and his defense, once the standout part of his game, took a step back. He was defensively as good as third baseman J.D. Davis in Outs Above Average last year, which is a fancy way of saying he was “fine.”
A player who is fine in the field and brutal at the plate should not be starting at shortstop for any team in baseball.
Sorry, the reality is harsh. Crawford’s decline doesn’t take away from all the great memories he made for the Giants.
But Zaidi and Bob Melvin have to win this season. And they believe that Marco Luciano, the team’s top position player prospect, is ready to take on the shortstop role full-time.
Marco Luciano (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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The SF Giants — and their fans — need to adopt a new mindset
Luciano played 14 games last year and hardly took the game by storm. He posted a .641 OPS in 45 plate appearances, with three extra-base hits. He was unremarkable in the field.
Small sample size? You bet.
But it’s fair to suggest that Luciano, 22, might need some time to establish himself as a big leaguer. The Giants believe in his talent and want to give him every opportunity to do that. If it takes a few months for him to find his footing, so be it — the Giants will make that trade for what they imagine will be a decade of excellence.
You can agree or disagree with the Giants’ assessment of Luciano. I, for one, have my doubts about him at short. The team is steadfast.
What you cannot debate is that having Crawford serving as a backup to a kid — and, again, there was no other role for the veteran on this team — would be terrible for Luciano’s development.
If Crawford were on the roster and Luciano struggled out of the gate this season, do you think Giants fans would have patience?
Of course not. They’d be clamoring like crazy for Crawford.
Even if all things were equal, at least they know No. 35.
There’s no way that energy wouldn’t seep into the clubhouse and front office. No one is on solid ground in those two areas right now — Zaidi and Melvin would only be able to hold off the horde for so long.
Meanwhile, no one will be calling up KNBR asking to play for Nick Ahmed, Tyler Fitzgerald, or Otto Lopez if Luciano has a couple oh-fers in a row and sails a throw to first.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Crawford is a legend, and it will be unsettling to see him wearing a Cardinals jersey — there’s no doubt about that.
But it should also be noted that he will be a potential backup for St. Louis’ young shortstop, Masyn Winn.
If Winn struggles out of the gate, Cardinals fans — who are even more vocal and crazed than Giants fans — won’t be rallying for Crawford to replace him every day. They don’t have a relationship with Crawford, they’ll see the shortstop for what he is: a player whose days as an everyday player are behind him.
That was never going to be the case with the Giants. Not after a decade of brilliance, not after a career’s worth of memories.
Ready or not, it’s time for the kid now.
And that meant Crawford had to go.