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SF Giants intend to decline Evan Longoria's club option, per report

The SF Giants are planning to decline third baseman Evan Longoria's team option for 2023, according to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants intend to decline Evan Longoria's club option, per report
SF Giants intend to decline Evan Longoria's club option, per report /
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The SF Giants have no intention of exercising their club option on veteran third baseman Evan Longoria for the 2023 season, according to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Longoria just finished the final year of a six-year, $100 million contract extension he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2012. However, the Giants must choose whether to exercise a $13 million club option for the 2023 season or pay him a $5 million buyout.

SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria smiles while in the field.
SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria smiles. (2022) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

"Giants third baseman Evan Longoria wants to return for one final season," Nightengale wrote. "But the Giants have no plans to pick up his $13 million option and will instead pay a $5 million buyout."

Nightengale is speaking with absolute certainty, but he does have an inconsistent history as a reporter. It's worth pointing out that Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he envisions a role for Longoria on the team in 2023 in his press conference with reporters last Friday. 

"He's really been a great Giant certainly during my time here," Zaidi said about Longoria.

With that said, both Zaidi and Longoria have suggested they would be interested in a reunion even if his option is declined. In fact, "The only teams Longoria would consider playing for are the Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks," Nightengale added.

Longoria has been the Giants since he was acquired in a trade before the 2018 season. Injuries have limited his production over his time with the team, but he has remained productive when healthy. Longoria has hit .251/.312/.428 with roughly 24 home runs per 162 games over his tenure in San Francisco. In 2022, Longoria posted a .244/.315/.451 triple-slash with 13 doubles and 14 home runs in 89 games before his season was cut short by a fractured thumb.

Besides his offensive production, Longoria remains an excellent defender at third base. Despite his injuries this season, he was graded as a +1 defender, according to Baseball Savant's Outs Above Average Metric.

According to Nightengale, the SF Giants have already decided to decline their club option in Evan Longoria's contract. However, that does not mean they have ruled out a reunion with the 37-year-old. The team will have to weigh Longoria against other potential offseason acquisitions, and younger options at the hot corner, like J.D. Davis and David Villar, who finished the season strong.

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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).

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