In the span of eight days, Brandon Crawford became the most decorated San Francisco Giants shortstop in franchise history, and he also became its richest.
Already holding two World Series rings in his pocket, the 28-year-old Crawford added an unexpected Gold Glove award and an expected Silver Slugger trophy within the last week in the same season in which he made his first National League All-Star team.
The year got even better Tuesday when Crawford and the Giants, the team he wildly cheered for as a kid, agreed to a six-year, $75 million contract extension, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, making him an organizational pillar well into his 30s. The deal buys out Crawford’s last two arbitration years and four free-agent seasons, making him a Giant through age 34 and a potential bargain for the Giants.
Giants general manager Bobby Evans had this to say, per MLB.com:
Brandon is an exceptionally talented baseball player who has earned this through his hard work, dedication and competitive spirit. He took great strides both offensively and defensively last season, winning his first-ever Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award. This is a great day for Brandon and his family, for the Giants and for our fans.
Crawford had been a defense-first shortstop through his first four seasons, compiling just a 91 OPS+, but he has been among the very best glovemen at his position. He ranks third among major league shortstops in defensive runs saved since 2011, according to Fangraphs, despite playing in just 66 games that season, his rookie year.
Had Crawford continued to be a defensive whiz, the Giants certainly could have lived with him at the position for the foreseeable future.
But in 2015, his bat caught up with his glove, as he set career bests in batting average (.256), runs (65), doubles (33), home runs (21), RBI (84), OPS (.782), OPS+ (114) and wRC+ (117). He also had the best Baseball-Reference WAR (5.6) and the best Fangraphs WAR (3.1) of his career.
It is this breakout season that pushed the Giants to lock up Crawford, realizing he has become a premier player at a premium position. The year also put him in elite Giants company, with Crawford becoming the first Giant since Barry Bonds in 1997 to win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same season.
Tentative breakdown on Brandon Crawford's contract: $1.2M signing bonus, $5.8M next year, $8M in 2017, then $15M in subsequent 4 years.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) November 18, 2015
The deal could end up being a huge win for the Giants. Neither the Marcel nor the Steamer projection systems see Crawford duplicating his offensive prowess in 2016, but if he exceeds their expectations for the next few seasons and can remain a quality defensive player, he will be paid well below market value for a player of his sudden ilk.
To compare, Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons is the superior defender at the position and, until last season, was a comparable offensive player to Crawford. The Atlanta Braves signed him to a seven-year, $58 million extension before the 2014 season, which at the time was the largest average annual value ever for a player with one-plus years of major league service time.
The Baltimore Orioles signed J.J. Hardy, who is not as good as Crawford defensively and was nowhere close to him offensively in 2015, to a three-year, $40 million deal before the 2015 season.
And the king of the shortstop paydays, Troy Tulowitzki, is not as good as Crawford defensively and had major Coors Field splits while with the Colorado Rockies. He signed a 10-year, $157.75 million contract in 2010.
This offseason, Ian Desmond, who struggled majorly on defense this past year (27 errors) but could be better with the bat going forward, could get north of $75 million as a 30-year-old.
ZiPS thinks the Crawford extension is fair, but I still think I rather have the 2 years of arbitration rather than the 6 year deal.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) November 17, 2015
The deal could always end up as just a “meh” kind of deal for the Giants if Crawford were to revert back to the below-average offensive player he had been before 2015. Not to mention the team entered into extension talks when Crawford’s stock might never be higher.
Even if Crawford starts to regress in the next three seasons, it’s possible the Giants could still be getting him at a reasonable price if he is a league-average hitter and remains a strong defender. It’s the last three years, the age-32-34 seasons, for which the Giants might end up overpaying.
That is the part that makes the no-trade clause baffling. The $15 million a year he will be owed could end up burdensome, but a team like the Giants certainly can absorb that if Crawford ends up a below-average shortstop in the second half of the deal.
Crawford’s breakout season put him right in line for this extension, and the Giants, banking on his continued offensive production, were willing to negotiate with him from a position of minimal leverage. That is how much Crawford potentially means to the franchise, especially as it enters its lucky even-year season.
All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.
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