MLB trade rumors present some intriguing news about Evan Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays. It appears that the franchise is willing to deal the former All-Star third baseman in order to save money for the 2018 MLB season. It could be another rebuilding effort for the franchise, suggesting that a Chris Archer trade wouldn’t be too far behind.
A report by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times states that the Rays are open to dealing the fan-favorite. This likely won’t come as welcome news to fans of the franchise, as an Evan Longoria trade could be the first of many dominos to fall during the MLB offseason. Alex Colome, Chris Archer, Corey Dickerson, and Wilson Ramos are all names that have popped up in prior MLB trade rumors that might suggest a “fire sale” could take place very soon.
Evan Longoria still has six years left on his contract , including a team option worth $13 million for the 2023 season. He has escalating salaries beginning with $13.5 million in 2018 and working up to $19.5 million for the 2022 season. In short, Longoria is still owed a lot of money by the Rays, but the team might be willing to part with the slugger if it also means saving a lot of money in the long-term. Is there a team willing to pay that much money for an aging third baseman?
#Rays add 7 prospects to 40-man roster prior to deadline: 1. Brent Honeywell ( #MLB No. 11) 5. Jake Bauers (No. 72) 10. Justin Williams 19. Yonny Chirinos 23. Ryan Yarbrough RHP Diego Castillo RHP Jose Mujica Complete rundown for all 30 @MLB teams: https://t.co/ZwC05TC3ku pic.twitter.com/4YCszfjc1M
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 21, 2017
Longoria still doesn’t have full no-trade rights, as he hasn’t reached 10 full years of service. As such, the Rays could find the right deal and send him packing without asking his permission. It would be hard for the front office to convince fans that they are still trying to compete this year if the team were to trade one of the key pieces on its roster. Though Longoria had a down-year in 2017, he still hit 20 home runs, had 86 RBIs, and won the Gold Glove Award at third base.
Though there have been a lot of murmurs on social media following these MLB trade rumors getting revealed, no package of players has been assigned to a potential Evan Longoria trade. It’s not even clear if another team is officially interested, as it is the early stages of this breaking news from the Tampa Bay Rays. A lot of teams will be paying close attention, though, as a Longoria trade might open the door to acquiring Chris Archer and/or Alex Colome should the Rays go into a full rebuilding mode.
[Featured Image by Brian Blanco/Getty Images]
