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SF Giants: Farhan Zaidi envisions a role for Evan Longoria in 2023

SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he thinks there's a role for third baseman Evan Longoria on the team next season.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants: Farhan Zaidi envisions a role for Evan Longoria in 2023
SF Giants: Farhan Zaidi envisions a role for Evan Longoria in 2023 /
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The SF Giants will soon have to decide whether to exercise their team option in third baseman Evan Longoria's contract for the 2023 season. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was asked about that impending decision in a Zoom press conference with reporters on Friday. While Zaidi did not suggest a final decision has been made, he said, "There's certainly a role for Longo on our roster in 2023."

SF Giants third baseman Evan Longoria walks to the dugout.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Longoria has been a mainstay in the Giants lineup since he was acquired in a trade prior to the 2018 season. However, injuries have limited his production throughout his tenure with San Francisco. As a Giant, Longoria has never played in 130 games in a season. Still, he's hit .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.

"He's really been a great Giant certainly during my time here," Zaidi said about Longoria. "There's certainly a role for Longo on our roster in 2023." With that said, Longoria told reporters earlier this week that he would be open to re-signing with the Giants even if they decline his option. So, Zaidi could be planning to make an effort to re-sign the 15-year MLB veteran after declining his option. Both sides could also renegotiate his contract before a decision has to be made.

Zaidi acknowledged that the Giants would want to lessen Longoria's playing time next season. “I think one of our lessons from this year is to manage the workloads for those veteran players and not rely on them too heavily,” Zaidi said. While he remains an excellent defensive third baseman, Longoria has crushed left-handed pitching in recent years. He could easily split his time between the hot corner and designated hitter.

The SF Giants would be guaranteeing Evan Longoria a $13 million salary for 2023 if they exercise their club option. With that said, they will still owe Longoria a $5 million buyout if they decline it. In other words, the Giants have to decide whether his potential contributions in 2023 are worth $8 million. The Giants will have to make that decision before the start of free agency.

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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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