Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants: Evan Longoria open to signing with any contending team

A new report has revealed that SF Giants free-agent third baseman Evan Longoria has become more willing to continue his playing career in 2023.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants: Evan Longoria open to signing with any contending team
SF Giants: Evan Longoria open to signing with any contending team /
In this story:

Longtime SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria was uncertain if he would continue his playing career after the 2022 season. However, now a free agent, the veteran wants to keep playing, per a new report by Jon Heyman of the NY Post. A previous report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today had said Longoria was only interested in continuing his career if he could play for the Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, or Arizona Diamondbacks. But Heyman's report undermines Nightengale.

SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria connects with a pitch against the Cubs. (2021)
SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria connects with a pitch during a game against the Cubs. (2022) / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

"Free agent Evan Longoria hopes to play one or two more years and is open to any competitive team," Heyman tweeted on Sunday. "Longoria who turned 37 last month, has 120 career OPS plus (114 in 2022). Can play 1B as well as 3B."

Longoria has been the Giants starting third baseman since he was acquired in December of 2017 from the Rays. Injuries have limited his production throughout his tenure in San Francisco. As a Giant, Longoria has never played 130 games in a season. Still, he's been productive when healthy, hitting .251/.312/.428 with roughly 24 home runs per 162 games. In 2022, Longoria posted a .244/.315/.451 triple-slash with 13 doubles and 14 home runs in 89 games.

Defensively, Longoria has remained one of the best defenders at the hot corner as well. He was graded as a +1 defender in 2022, per Baseball Savant's Outs Above Average, despite his injuries. When healthy, Longoria has consistently been an above-average everyday player.

"He's really been a great Giant certainly during my time here," Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said about Longoria during a press conference following the season. "There's certainly a role for Longo on our roster in 2023."

However, the SF Giants opted to decline a club option in Longoria's contract for the 2023 season, paying him a $5 million buyout and making him a free agent. The emergence of young players like David Villar and J.D. Davis likely played a role in letting go of Longoria. Now as Evan Longoria looks for his next contract, he is willing to sign with any team looking to contend in 2023, per Jon Heyman's report.

Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

Home/San Francisco Giants Rumors