San Francisco Giants: Top 5 worst contracts heading into this offseason

5. Brandon Crawford (6 years, $75 million)

A couple of the names on this list are going to hurt to read; this is one of them.

Brandon Crawford is one of those players that you could never imagine playing for another team because they fit so well where they’re at. He was a part of two of the three World Series rings brought to San Francisco.

A native to the Bay Area, Crawford quickly cemented himself in the Giants lineup thanks to a combination of elite defense and a budding bat that was turning him into one of the best all-around shortstops in the game.

The Giants jumped at the opportunity to lock down their young star, signing him to a six-year deal after the 2015 season, where he received an all-star selection, a gold glove, and a silver slugger.

The contract looked to be a bargain at first, as most contracts are. In the first year of his new deal, Crawford would finish 12th in MVP voting on the season. Since he signed his deal, he’s earned two gold gloves and a second all-star nod as well.

But at 32 years of age, the developing star that we saw flashes of in years past has slowly fallen away. And his struggles have been highlighted by the fact that the contract was backloaded to have him earning over $15 million a year.

What makes this contract bad is that Crawford has been facing a noticeable decline that hasn’t exactly shown signs of turning around anytime soon.

His batting average is down to .227 — the lowest it’s been since he first entered the majors — and his slugging has been on the decline as well, steadily dropping by about thirty points every season since he signed his deal.

He’s also, unfortunately, been subjected to a decline in fielding percentage as a result of his age. Crawford is seeing the first dips in defensive productivity of his career—a lower range, more errors in fewer games, and the lowest fielding percentage of his career.

These are not great signs.

With two years to go on his contract, the Giants might find themselves at a crossroads with what they can do with a declining shortstop who will be making about $15 million per season.

It isn’t impossible that another team might be interested in Crawford — especially if they chalk this season up as an anomaly when it comes to his defensive metrics — but it’s still tough to imagine the Giants parting ways with a player so ingrained in Giants culture.

This is one of those contracts where, if you’re a Giants fan, you can’t be too upset that the deal was made.

Crawford has been perfect for the image of Giants baseball. He’s played a key role already in bringing championship excellence to San Francisco.

The sentimental will get in the way of any possible move they could put together for Brandon Crawford going to another team, but it’s feasible. If anything, the Giants might even be willing to eat some of that money to make way for other pieces.

This is just the uglier side of the contract that’s to be expected.