The St. Louis Cardinals are signing three-time All-Star Brandon Crawford, league sources tell The Athletic.
Crawford, 37, is expected to serve as a back-up shortstop behind 21-year-old rookie Masyn Winn while the team awaits further clarity on Tommy Edman’s recovery from wrist surgery. The deal is pending a physical.
The Cardinals had been actively monitoring the backup infielder market over the course of the month with Edman’s status for Opening Day unclear. Edman, who was slated to be the team’s starting centerfielder but would fill in at shortstop when needed, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist in October. He has yet to be cleared to take live swings and there is no current timetable for when he could be cleared for game action. With Edman sidelined indefinitely, the Cardinals were left scrambling for viable depth options at shortstop after Winn.
Crawford had previously spent all 13 years of his major-league career with the San Francisco Giants, and played a key role in the team’s 2012 and 2014 World Series championships. Crawford was an All-Star in 2021, but his performance began to decline in 2022. He appeared in just 93 games last season due to various injuries and posted a .194/.273/.314 line.
This story will be updated.
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