Crawford hoping Giants recapture ’21 magic with revamped roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Winter will soon begin turning into spring, which means the 2023 MLB season is almost here. The Giants’ pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 16 and position players will arrive on Feb. 21.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford believes the Giants’ offseason moves can allow the team to replicate their 2021 season when they won a franchise-record 107 wins and the NL West.
“Well, on paper, in 2021, we weren’t supposed to win 107 games and win the division either,” Crawford said Tuesday on “KNBR Tonight with F.P. Santangelo.” “I think we have a better team on paper, at least going into this year than we did in 2021. So I think we kind of look at that and see the improvements that we made. Obviously, not what everybody hoped for, some of the bigger names out there that ended up not coming to us, but I definitely think we made some good moves and got our team better with some of the moves that were made.
“I think we focus on those and how we can all get better and kind of hopefully recapture some of the form from some of the better days we’ve had. I guess looking back at it, 2021 was a great season for a lot of guys.”
Crawford is optimistic ahead of a new season despite San Francisco striking out on free-agent targets. Giants fans were expecting a big name to build the franchise around — however, that type of signing never materialized.
Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees after signing a nine-year, $360 million contract while San Francisco backed out of the 13-year, $350 million agreement with its No. 2 option, Carlos Correa, after raising concerns over a previous ankle injury.
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The Giants did add players like Michael Conforto, who signed a two-year, $36 million deal this offseason, as San Francisco hopes to bounce back from their 81-81 record last season.
