Why Giants could still bring back Longoria after declining his option
In their first significant decision of the offseason on Thursday, the San Francisco Giants reportedly opted against picking up their club option on Evan Longoria. However, that doesn’t necessarily preclude the veteran third baseman from returning in 2023.
Longoria told the San Francisco Chronicle of the club’s decision; the Giants have yet to make an official announcement.
Longoria, 37, was one of the Giants’ top hitters last season but struggled to stay on the field in the most injury-riddled season of an otherwise durable career. The Giants would have owed him $13 million had they picked up his option for next season; instead, they are on the hook for a $5 million buyout — and could potentially renegotiate at a lower rate for next year.
While Longoria admitted he pondered retirement as he battled through injuries last season — four stints on the IL: recovery from offseason ligament surgery on one finger, a fractured thumb that ended his season and strains to his left oblique and right hamstring in between — he firmly expressed his desire to play next year, if he is wanted. He has been a productive player when healthy the past five seasons in San Francisco, lives in the Phoenix area and has strong ties to Tampa, where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career. He has never experienced
free agency.
Left with a vacuum of leadership after the departure of Buster Posey before last season, Longoria was one veteran that stepped up in the clubhouse. He organized a spirit-rising home run derby; he said he’d shave his hair into a mohawk if they snapped a season-long seven-game losing streak, and he did. Despite a fractured thumb that ended his season — his fourth stint on the IL — Longoria accompanied the team on its final road trip.
Manager Gabe Kapler, whose playing career overlapped with Longoria’s for two seasons in Tampa Bay, appreciated his presence during the final series and said that he “lean(s) on his perspective all the time.” After the season, president
of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said, “there’s certainly a role for Longo on our team in 2023 with the way we manage our roster.”
Longoria has totaled 519 at-bats the past two seasons; he doesn’t profile as an everyday third baseman. But once in a while, he shows flashes of his former self — think about that August game at Coors when he single-handedly willed them to a win — and has been productive when healthy. He slashed .252/.333/.466 in those 519 at-bats the past two seasons (a 119 OPS+), and only two Giants with as many at-bats last season had a higher OPS.
The Giants traded for Longoria in December 2017, sending Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, Matt
Krook and Stephen Woods to Tampa Bay. Playing 477 games across five seasons with the Giants, Longoria batted .251 with 70 home runs (a .750 OPS). He accrued 6.9 wins above replacement since the trade, according to Baseball-Reference, compared to 3.8 from the package of prospects the Rays received in return.
Invaluably, Longoria has also shown a willingness to shepherd the Giants’ next third baseman.
Between David Villar, 25, who impressed down the stretch in his debut last season, and the surehanded Casey Schmitt, 23, who could make his debut next season, the Giants are in an enviable position when it comes to the transition of power at the hot corner.