Yes, that just happened. Tampa Bay Rays have just traded the face of their franchise and one of the best players in the team’s history Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants gave up Christian Arroyo, Denard Span and minor leaguers Matt Krook and Stephen Woods in exchange. Longoria is currently on a five-year contract, which is worth around $100 million. The trade was confirmed on the Giants official Twitter profile.
✔️ 3-time All-Star
✔️ 3-time Gold Glove Award winner
✔️ California nativeWelcome to the Orange & Black, Evan Longoria!#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/JHAHFEwbOs
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) December 20, 2017
“Evan is our greatest Ray. For a decade, he’s been at the center of all of our successes, and it’s a very emotional parting for us all,” – said Rays owner Stuart Sternberg in a statement. “I speak for our entire organization in wishing Evan and his wonderful family our absolute best.“
Evan Longoria was drafted by the Rays in the 2006 MLB draft as the third overall pick. He spent 10 years with the franchise for which he debuted in 2008 when he won American League Rookie of the Year Award unanimously. The same year, he helped the Rays get to the World Series while being named an All-Star. Longoria also made two more All-Star appearances (2009 and 2010), while winning three Gold Glove Awards (2009, 2010, and 2017) and one Silver Slugger Award (2009). His batting average is at .270, while he had 1,471 hits and 261 home runs during his career. He holds the Rays’ team records for most career home runs, doubles, and RBIs.
“This move fills an important need for our club and completes one of our offseason goals,” – said Brian Sabean, executive vice president of baseball operations for the Giants. “Evan has been one of the best third basemen in the game over the last decade and we are thrilled to add him to the organization. Moving forward, we will continue to work on additional opportunities to improve the club for 2018.“
