Brandon Crawford deal with Cardinals

JUPITER, Fla. — With Tommy Edman’s availability for Opening Day still unclear following offseason right wrist surgery, the Cardinals agreed to terms with veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford as insurance behind rookie sensation Masyn Winn, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Monday.

Crawford, 37, must pass a physical at the team’s Florida headquarters on Tuesday before the deal becomes official. The club has yet to confirm the transaction.

Crawford previously spent his entire 13-year career with the Giants, where he was a three-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover and a Silver Slugger winner in 2015. A career .250 hitter, Crawford batted just .194 with a .273 on-base percentage in 2023 in an injury-marred season in which he played just 93 games.

The shortstop was an All-Star as recently as 2021 when he hit .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs. In addition to winning his fourth Gold Glove that season, Crawford also finished fourth in the voting for the NL MVP award.

The move comes after middle infielders Tim Anderson (Marlins), Nick Ahmed (Giants), Amed Rosario (Rays), Enrique Hernandez (Dodgers) and Gio Urshela (Tigers) signed elsewhere in recent days.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol admitted on Monday morning that Edman was likely still multiple weeks away from hitting live pitching. Edman, the Cardinals’ projected starter in center field and their desired backup to Winn at shortstop, had surgery in October to repair damage in a right wrist that had bothered him for two seasons.

On Monday, Edman was still hitting off a tee and swinging only at soft toss throws from coaches. Marmol said that the switch-hitting Edman is further along hitting from the left side of the plate than he is right-handed because of the limitations with the wrist. The Cards are hopeful that Edman will progress to where he is hitting off coaches and a pitching machine before stepping in the batter’s box for live BP. Only after he passes those phases will Edman be available for games, Marmol said.

Further complicating matters for the Cardinals is former Gold Glover Brendan Donovan coming off ligament repair surgery in his right elbow. The Cards have worked to limit his throws in training camp even though he has been fully cleared by doctors. Shortstop was one of the six positions that Donovan played in 2022 when he became the first rookie in team history to win a Gold Glove, but that position appears to be off the table because of the previous arm injury.

“That’s the conversation right now: Who else can do it? Is it in a pinch or can you stick them out there for weeks at a time and feel comfortable with it?” Marmol said late last week, referring to the Cardinals’ need for more reliable depth at shortstop. “And just understanding what that looks like. We have an opportunity to do that over the next couple of weeks.”

Winn, the 21-year-old top-ranked prospect in the Cards’ system per MLB Pipeline, made his MLB debut with the Cardinals last August. While flashing some impressive defense, Winn mostly struggled at the plate. He hit just .172 with a .230 on base percentage in 37 games.

Up 15 pounds in hopes of being strong enough to better handle MLB pitching, Winn authored an impressive Grapefruit League debut on Sunday. He went 3-for-3 with a double and two hard-hit singles while also contributing a stolen base and the defensive gem of the day in the Cards’ 3-0 defeat of the Astros. Winn, who missed two days of work last week with back tightness, is hoping to use this spring to answer any questions about his readiness to be the Cardinals everyday starting shortstop.

“Really, I’m just going out there and playing baseball,” Winn said. “I’m just trying to go out there and have a good time, catch a few barrels, make a few plays and give the fans something that they want to see.”