The Cardinals and shortstop reportedly have Lauri Markkanen Jersey mutual interest. mentioned earlier today that the Cards were believed to have interest in Crawford, though she also reports that theres an A.L. West club in the mix. confirmed that the Cards are interested in Crawford and relayed that the interest is mutual. Last week, it was that the Cards were looking for some extra shortstop depth, with Crawford, and mentioned as speculative fits. Ahmed a minor league deal with the Giants earlier today, removing one option the Cardinals could have considered. Crawford, 37, has spent his entire career with the Giants thus far. The Bay Area native was drafted by them in 2008 and made it to the majors by 2011, winning the World Series with them in 2012 and 2014. Over the past decade-plus, hes had many good years but is coming off a couple of frustrating campaigns. In 2021, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and slashed .298/.373/.522 for a wRC+ of 140. Along the way, the club signed him to a two-year, $32MM extension so that he wouldnt reach the open market. Though that deal kept a franchise icon on the roster, it didnt work out especially well for them. Crawford spent time on the injured list in 2022 due to knee i sues and hit just nine home runs in 118 games. Hit batting line dipped to .231/.308/.344, leading to a wRC+ of 88. His defense also may have slipped, depending on your favored metric. Outs Above Average still had him at +7 but Defensive Runs Saved put a -6 on him. Last year, things got even worse. There were IL trips due to a right calf strain, left knee inflammation, a left forearm strain and a right hamstring strain. He got into only 94 contests and mustered a tepid batting line of .194/.273/.314. The defensive metrics were split again, with Crawford posting +6 OAA but -14 DRS. Up until today, a return to the Giants would have been somewhat plausible. That club is slated to have rookie as its regular shortstop, making it sensible that Crawford could have been brought back as a backup/insurance policy/veteran mentor. But the signing of Ahmed seems to make that le s likely and may push Crawford out of San Francisco for the first time in his career. St. Louis is also set to turn over the shortstop job to a rookie, with slated for the lions share of playing time for the Cards. He has just 37 games of big league experience so far and hit just .172/.230/.238 in that time. The primary fallback option would be , though hes penciled in as the clubs everyday center fielder and is also working back from undergoing arthroscopic wrist surgery in October. Utility player underwent flexor tendon surgery in August of last year. is also on the roster but doesnt have much of a track record in the majors or even at Triple-A. Given the state of the depth chart at shortstop, bringing in another option would make sense. Perhaps playing in a part-time role would allow Crawford more opportunity to stay healthy and productive. Or even if he doesnt play much, he could serve as a mentor and share his accumulated wisdom with Winn, who hasnt even turned 22 years old yet. Given his struggles over the past two years, he likely wouldnt cost much, if hes even able to secure a guaranteed roster spot. Wendell Carter Jersey