Report: Giants have 'keen interest' in Rays' Longoria
Evan Longoria has only ever called Tampa Bay home throughout his pro baseball career, but that could be on the verge of changing. With many suitors expected to be involved, one is potentially putting cards on the table.
The San Francisco Giants have shown a 'keen interest' in acquiring the Rays third baseman, USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale reports.
The team's interest in pursuing an upgrade at third base shouldn't be surprising. It appears Pablo Sandoval is slated to be the team's opening-day starter at the hot corner, and he struggled throughout 2017. Beyond that, no team saw less production from the position last year.
Giants third basemen combined to hit .229/.284/.333 with 19 home runs. Eduardo Nunez was the team's top option, but was traded to the Boston Red Sox in the summer.
Related: Several executives reportedly believe Longoria will be traded
Acquiring Longoria isn't without risk, however. At 32, he would be another 30-plus option on an aging team, and he's coming off the worst full season of his career. He hit .261/.313/.424 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs over 156 games.
The other issue arises if the Giants want to flip one of their expensive outfield contracts in Denard Span or Hunter Pence, as the Rays likely view any Longoria deal as a cost-cutting measure or part of a rebuild. Despite his recent struggles, Longoria has a relatively team-friendly deal with five years and $86 million left on his contract.