The San Francisco Giants finally landed a right-handed power hitter from the state of Florida, and his name is Evan Longoria.
After weeks of courting former Miami Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the Giants turned their attention to addressing one of their primary offseason needs, adding a third baseman who can hit in the heart of their order.
By acquiring Longoria, Giants’ general manager Bobby Evans finally executed the type of blockbuster trade the team’s fan base has been waiting for this offseason, and gained a start on setting the team up to contend in 2018. Evans also accomplished another goal with the trade, and that was unloading the contract of Denard Span, an outfielder who was owed $11 million next season and likely wouldn’t have been a major factor for the team moving forward.
Aside from moving Span (a Tampa native), the Giants also dealt top hitting prospect Christian Arroyo (another Florida native) as well as pitching prospects Stephen Woods and Matt Krook.
It’s the type of “creative” trade Evans said the team needed to make at the outset of the offseason, and there’s no doubt that San Francisco’s situation at third base improves immediately. Instead of starting Spring Training with an inexperienced Christian Arroyo and an underwhelming Pablo Sandoval battling for the job, San Francisco now has a player who has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons and a three-time Gold Glove Award winner manning the hot corner.
The best part for the Giants? By adding Longoria and dumping Span’s salary in the same deal, the franchise adds just $2.5 million to its bottom line for next season as Longoria is scheduled to make $13.5 million in 2018. Additionally, multiple reports including one from Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic have indicated the Rays are sending the Giants cash back to complete the deal, so it’s entirely possible the trade is cash-neutral for 2018, which would give the Giants more spending power to address their other needs of finding a center fielder and bullpen help.
While Longoria is a solid solution for San Francisco’s problems in the short-term, there are significant consequences the Giants might face into the future because of this trade. At the age of 32, Longoria has showed signs that he’s declining offensively, as he posted a career-low .313 on-base percentage last season. Longoria’s .737 OPS was actually worse than Span’s in 2017, as the former Giants’ center fielder finished with a .756 clip last year. And while Longoria has hit well over 100 home runs combined in the last five years, he’s barely surpassed the 20-home run threshold in three of the last four seasons, which means his power could be in decline and moving to AT&T Park could exacerbate that issue.
Trading for Longoria also makes a large dent in the Giants’ future payroll, as he’s signed through the 2022 season and will make upward of $18 million in 2021 before commanding $19.5 million in 2022. Prior to the deal, San Francisco already had more money committed to players in 2019 and 2020 than any other franchise in baseball, so the Giants are taking another risk by adding to that existing payroll.
Aside from having to shell out upward of $15 million for Longoria’s services in each of the final three seasons on his contract, the Giants should also be concerned about his status as an aging veteran. The Downey, California native will be 36 years old when his contract expires in 2022, and San Francisco entered the offseason looking to become younger and more athletic. Instead, by acquiring Longoria, the Giants could be adding yet another player to their roster who might not be able to produce much in the late stages of his deal.
By shipping Arroyo to Tampa Bay, the Giants also lost out on the opportunity to watch a homegrown first round draft choice morph into an every day starter in San Francisco. The franchise has always been high on Arroyo –and at some level it was a victory for San Francisco to avoid trading 2017 first round draft choice Heliot Ramos– but trading a player many people within the organization considered the third baseman of the future is a sign Evans and Co. are feeling the heat to win now.
Ultimately, after a 64-98 season, the Giants were desperate to make a move that would patch up one of the team’s worst deficiencies, and add an impact player who addresses multiple needs. San Francisco wanted a two-way threat, and Longoria’s power and Gold Glove defense are exactly what the Giants were looking for in the trade market. The question now becomes whether the trade will continue to help San Francisco as the club moves into the future, or whether it’s the type of deal that only further masks the long-term issues facing the franchise.
