J.P. Crawford could help the Cardinals, but his fit is more awkward than it seems

If the St. Louis Cardinals were in full-on contender mode right now, J.P. Crawford could fill a really intriguing role as a platoon option at third base. But given their goal of letting their young talent play right now, I think his fit is awkward at best.

Don't get me wrong, Crawford is a name I've had circled for the Cardinals for months now. He is a quality veteran infielder who hits from the left side, making Crawford the ideal platoon partner for the current right-handed mix of Blaze Jordan (51 wRC+ vs. RHP) and Thomas Saggese (66 wRC+ vs. RHP).

In 2026, Crawford put up a solid 103 wRC+ against righties that he faced, a big step up from that of Jordan and Saggese, and is 10% above league average against right-handed pitching for his career. That would be a really helpful facelift for the bottom of the Cardinals lineup, but again, is that what they are really chasing after?

Given the fact that about 70% of the starting pitchers the Cardinals will face during a season are right-handed, they would immediately be wiping out a large chunk of potential starts at third base for both Jordan and Saggese, who showed levels of intrigue during their campaigns.

Jordan was much better defensively than people expected and posted a 124 wRC+ against southpaws. If he is able to improve his production against right-handed pitching, that's a really interesting bat the Cardinals can utilize moving forward or dangle in trades. Saggese was good against lefties (112 wRC+) and can play six different positions, which has value for the Cardinals moving forward.

Are either of those core players moving forward? Probably not. But they each provide a level of intrigue that the Cardinals should want to see more of, at least more than very reduced roles.

It's hard to find playing time for other young Cardinals if J.P. Crawford is signed

Let's say Crawford starts even just half of the Cardinals' games at third base. That leaves 81 games for Jordan and Saggese to pick up, and given how the Cardinals want to handle other positions, it's hard to imagine either one getting much playing time elsewhere outside of injury. Sure, Crawford could slide to shortstop sometimes, but do we really see that happening much either?

There's also the Crawford side of this question - would he really want to just be a platoon bat in St. Louis? I think there's a good chance he can find a larger role elsewhere, or at least the same one with a contender. And frankly, that makes even less sense for St. Louis.

For Jordan, the only other position he can play is first base, but the Cardinals remain steadfast that Burleson is the every day guy there, so I don't think Jordan will be able to snag more than a handful of starts at first. And then there's DH, which Ivan Herrera has on lock, and names like Burleson, Leo Bernal, Jordan Walker, and Joshua Baez may see time at.

Saggese is a bit different, as he can operate as the backup shortstop, second baseman, and an option for each outfield spot as well. But again, how often is that coming to fruition for him?

And in the case of both players, their playing time could shrink even further once Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Tai Peete, or other Cardinals prospects make their potential 2027 debuts.

I agree that the Cardinals are a better team, on paper, with Crawford platooning at third base next season. But is that the most important thing for them? I'm not so sure. I think they'd rather see more from these young bats.

I'm not ruling Crawford or another third base option out. The Cardinals have kept the door open by how they've spoken about the position, both publicly and privately. But when rubber meets the road, I don't necessarily see it making a ton of sense for St. Louis or Crawford.

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