The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to bounce back after a miserable 2023 season, where they ended up dead last in the NL Central division with a 71-91 record. Now, without Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, and Albert Pujols, the team is out of veterans with World Series experience.

Now, it appears that they have their veteran as Jeff Passan from ESPN reports that they have an agreement with long-time San Francisco shortstop and 37-year-old veteran Brandon Crawford for one year, with the deal still pending a physical.

Crawford’s recent seasons

Crawford played his whole career with the Giants until now, being considered the best shortstop in franchise history and a pivotal part of the World Series-winning teams of the last decade, winning the 2012 and 2014 Fall Classics with his childhood team.

After a stellar 2021 season, he was selected to the All-Star, won a Gold Glove, and finished fourth in voting for the National League MVP award with .298/.373/.522 slash line, 24 home runs, and 90 RBIs, Crawford battled massively the following two seasons after signing a two-year $32 million contract extension with the Giants.

Over the last two seasons, Crawford hit .216/.293/.332 with a 76 OPS+ and a -0.7 rWAR, also seeing a decline in his defensive production, which is considered the best part of his game, posting a -20 DRS at shortstop in 2022 and 2023.