Evan Longoria is heading to the D-backs on a one-year contract, a source told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert on Friday. The club has not confirmed the deal.
Longoria, 37, was on the free-agent market for the first time in his 15-year career. He spent the previous five seasons with the Giants before the club opted to pay him a $5 million buyout in lieu of picking up his $13 million club option.
Though injuries have limited Longoria to just 170 games over the past two seasons combined, he’s still proven to be a serviceable third baseman. He’s slashed .252/.333/.466 (.799 OPS) with a 119 OPS+ and 27 home runs in those 170 games, all while playing slightly above-average defense with one Out Above Average from 2021-22.
Longoria is certainly still capable of holding an everyday role, but his success against left-handed pitchers also makes him a potential platoon option or a quality late-game bat off the bench.
Longoria has a career .281/.359/.510 (.868 OPS) slash line against southpaws. Over the past two seasons specifically, he is hitting .295 with a .915 OPS in 211 plate appearances against lefties compared to just .229 with a .735 OPS against right-handers.
It may also benefit Longoria to work in some rest days, given that he’s had six non-COVID IL stints over the past two seasons. In 2022 alone, he missed time due to a ligament surgery on his right index finger, a strained left oblique, a strained right hamstring and a fractured right thumb.
Overall, Longoria is a career .265 hitter with an .806 OPS and 331 home runs over 10 seasons with the Rays and five with the Giants.