TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Rays have traded Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants.
After days of rumors about the potential trade, the Rays officially announced the deal on Wednesday. The trade will bring four players to Tampa Bay: outfielder Denard Span, infielder Christian Arroyo, minor league pitcher Matt Crook and minor league pitcher Stephen Woods Jr.
Longoria leaves the club as the longest-tenured player in franchise history. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the third overall pick in 2006 and played two years in the minors before making his MLB debut in 2008.
The 32-year-old third baseman leads the club all-time with 1,435 games played, 261 home runs, 892 runs batted in, 338 doubles, 618 extra-base hits, 780 runs scored, 569 walks and 2,630 total bases.
Longoria earned his third Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2017, becoming the first player in Rays franchise history to win three times.
“Evan is our greatest Ray. For a decade, he’s been at the center of all of our successes, and it’s a very emotional parting for us all,” Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. “I speak for the entire organization in wishing Evan and his wonderful family our absolute best.”
Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier posted on Twitter Wednesday thanking Longoria:
Several local leaders also posted messages to Longoria on Twitter:
