SF Giants sign Brandon Crawford to a two-year contract extension

The SF Giants have several significant contributors heading for free agency following the 2021 season. However, they ensured one player will not be hitting the open market this winter by agreeing to a two-year, $32 million contract extension with shortstop Brandon Crawford. One of the best shortstops in MLB, Crawford is now slated to stay with his hometown team for at least the next two seasons.

The SF Giants agreed to an extension with Brandon Crawford.

Crawford was in the middle of the final season of a six-year, $75 million deal he signed back in 2015. At 34, many expected Crawford’s time in San Francisco to come to an end this season. While he was born and raised in the Bay Area and grew up a Giants fan, his performance has steadily declined over the past few seasons. Instead, after a solid 2020 season, Crawford took it to another level in 2021, playing the best baseball of his career.

Despite a short stint on the injured list, Crawford has hit .296/.364/.540 with 21 doubles and 19 home runs across 95 games in 2021. Crawford’s resurgent offensive production has come alongside a similar return to his prime on the other side of the ball. Always considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the league, he has played arguably as well as he did a decade ago. Needless to say, he was selected to his third All-Star game this summer.

Over his career, Crawford set the Giants franchise record for games started at shortstop and has been an everyday player since debuting back in 2011. A key contributor to two World Series championship teams, Crawford has already cemented himself among the faces of the Giants most recent dynasty. Now, he should have an opportunity to richen his legacy over the next two years in San Francisco.

The SF Giants may have several holes to fill this offseason with the number of prominent contributors slated for free agency. However, the front office made their lives significantly easier by extending longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford on a two-year, $32 million contract that will span through the 2023 season.