San Francisco Giants avoid arbitration and sign Brandon Crawford

The San Francisco Giants avoided arbitration with Brandon Crawford by signing him to a one-year contract for 3.175 million dollars, the halfway point between the 2.4 mil offered and the 3.95 that Crawford was asking for. The defensive specialist was eligible for arbitration for the first time and as is the custom in San Francisco, matters were settled before they needed to have a third party get involved.

Last season Crawford hit ten triples, ten home runs and knocked in 69 runs, while amassing the second-highest number of errors in the National League, at 21. Fans who watch the Giants with any degree of regularity, do not worry about the number of errors Crawford makes, because he has established his credentials as a top-notch shortstop since he arrived in the bigs.

2015 will be his fourth full-time season for the Giants and the 27-year-old is getting better as he gets older. The addition of Casey McGehee to the infield of Joe Panik and Brandon Belt, gives the Giants a solid infield defense that will put out more fires than it starts.

October 31, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (left) and wife Jalynne Dantzscher Crawford (right) ride in a car during the World Series victory parade at Market Street. The Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers in a four-game sweep to win the 2012 World Series. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With Joaquin Arias almost certain to continue as a utility player who can handle any of the infield spots, the Giants have the luxury of taking a closer look at Matt Duffy as a possible competitor to Ehire Adrianza, Adam Duvall, Chris Dominguez, and certainly several others also trying to give the Giants a look at their skills.

Brandon Crawford has now earned two world series rings and was instrumental in propelling the Giants past the intimidating Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card showdown last October.

How many shortstops in the National League have earned two world series rings in the past three years?

He hit the first postseason grand slam by a shortstop in major league history, in leading the Giants to an 8-0 defeat of the Pirates.

This guy bleeds Giant orange and has done so since he was five years old. He has that insatiable need to be part of a team that takes pride in the way they work together to overcome odds against clubs that are consistently favored to win. Somehow the Giants keep overcoming those odds and Brandon Crawford is a big reason why.

Maybe the next time Crawford prepares to sign a contract, it will be for seven years and nine figures. Don’t you figure that sounds about right?

Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford makes the turn around third base in the third inning during game four of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports