Tampa Bay Rays: Trading Evan Longoria a growing possibility

Evan Longoria is the Tampa Bay Rays’ most iconic player, but the team’s nosedive has generated rumblings that they could trade the third baseman.

If the Tampa Bay Rays have had a franchise player in their 18-year history, it is undoubtedly Evan Longoria. Selected as the number-three overall pick in the 2006 draft, the third baseman is already at or near the top of the organization’s leader boards in virtually every offensive category. For his performance and leadership, he was paid the ultimate respect by a famously small-budgeted club after the 2012 season: a six-year, $100 million contract extension to presumably keep him in Tampa for life (or close to it).

Bad seasons have a way of making teams consider previously unthinkable options, however. And for the Rays, it’s been three disappointing campaigns in a row since their last postseason appearance. They are currently 22 games under .500 and have lost a staggering 25 of their last 29 contests. Everything should be on the table, and that could including moving the face of the franchise.

According to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, the Rays have been talking to the Los Angeles Dodgers recently, and he speculates that Longoria could be part of those discussions. The 30-year-old has been building his trade value this year after a couple underwhelming seasons by his standards. Longoria slashed .261/.324/.419 in 2014-15 while averaging 22 home runs and 82 RBI per season.

90 games into the current campaign, Longoria boasts a .289/.338/.543 slash line with 21 homers and 50 RBI. His .881 OPS would be his best since 2012 (.896), and he’s on pace to crack the 35-homer mark for the first time ever. If the Rays were to truly put him on the market, there would be plenty of interest in that kind of production.

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His long-term contract could be an obstacle for many teams, though. Longoria’s extension kicks in after this season, and he is due to make $94 million over the next six years along with a $13 million team option for 2023. The Dodgers, of course, are no strangers to taking on expensive contracts, and they presumably wouldn’t sweat over adding Longoria’s salary to their ledger.

There are a couple off-field factors that could make the Dodgers a potential fit for Longoria as well. The three-time All-Star is a California native who grew up not far from L.A. in Downey. Dodgers president Andrew Friedman served as general manager of the Rays from 2005 to 2014, leading the regime that drafted Longoria.

But finding a place for Longoria on the current Dodgers roster might be easier said than done. Starting third baseman Justin Turner is doing a nice job, and Morosi wonders whether the Boys in Blue could move him to second over a middling Chase Utley (.718 OPS) to make room for Longoria.

The Rays star would be an upgrade for a Dodgers team with playoff aspirations, but there are other areas – namely the outfield and starting rotation – that make more sense to address first. Morosi says it’s hard to imagine anything regarding Longoria coming together before August 1, but that he could be shopped in the offseason instead. The Dodgers could definitely revisit the subject then, when Turner and Utley are free agents.

It’s also worth noting that if the Rays want to deal Longoria, they might have to do it within the next year or so. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out last week, Longoria earns 10-and-5 no-trade rights at the start of the 2018 season.

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With rumors about Chris Archer swirling too, there is a growing sense that the Rays could become quite aggressive in their rebuild effort. Archer will apparently only be moved for an overwhelming return, however, and the same is likely true of Longoria. The possibility of trading the franchise icon somewhere down the line is looking much more realistic, though. If Longoria enjoys a strong second half, Tampa Bay should still have a solid market for him over the winter.

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