The Giants traded for Evan Longoria

There have been whispers of an Evan Longoria trade for some time now, as he was mentioned as a possible candidate to be dealt even before the 2017 season. Those ceaseless whispers finally turned into something, as the longtime Rays’ third baseman has been traded to the Giants for a return of Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, Matt Krook, and Stephen Woods according to Jeff Passan.

The Giants shortly after confirmed the trade to be official, with the same names Passan reported included.

Span and Arroyo are the two who deserve a look here: Span was dealt to make the money work for the Giants, who are trying to avoid blowing past the luxury tax threshold. He’s owed $11 million in 2018 with a $4 million buyout on his 2019 option, while Longoria is set to make $13.5 million in 2018, with an average annual value/competitive balance tax figure of $16.67 million on his deal.

Arroyo will be 23 years old, and the backstop was one of the few Giants prospects known outside of San Francisco. While he’s young and hit well at Triple-A, the Giants were looking for something more established at third base: Longoria, even in a down 2017, managed a league-average line, and he’s a good-to-great defender depending on what resource you use to determine that.

Longoria will be useful to the Giants even if 2017 is who he is from now on, especially when considering that he’s a relative bargain for someone with his upside. If he’s more like his 2016 self, when he slugged .521 and racked up 81 extra-base hits, then he’ll make good on that notion of being a bargain, and Arroyo won’t be missed.

As for what’s next for the Rays, that’s to be seen. Trading Longoria, long-term, gives them some additional financial flexibility, but they’re now also without Evan Longoria, who again, slugged .521 just a year ago and has been a mainstay in that lineup for years. Replacing his production will be a priority, but whether it’s a priority for 2018 or later on after Span’s money clears is the question.