The Arizona Diamondbacks are typically not a huge spender in free agency but they brought in a veteran infielder that was once an All-Star at the MLB level on Friday.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Diamondbacks have signed free agent third baseman Evan Longoria to a one-year contract.
Evan Longoria to Diamondbacks. 1 year deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 30, 2022
While Heyman did not disclose the details of his contract, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic revealed that this contract is worth $4 million, and Longoria could make another $1 million in bonuses involved in his deal.
Longoria is guaranteed $4M. Could make another $1M in bonuses. https://t.co/n4yMaQSqwm
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) December 30, 2022
Longoria is best known for his time with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008-2017 but has spent each of the last five seasons with the San Francisco Giants.
While the 37-year-old veteran is not the player he once was, he has still been a solid contributor at the MLB level, slashing .244/.315/.451 along with 14 home runs last year in San Francisco.
This is likely not a signing that will propel the Diamondbacks to become a contender like fans would have hoped, but many around the MLB world believe that Longoria can still put up solid numbers in Arizona.
“Very nice fit for Longoria, who stays in the NL West,” tweeted Danny Emerman of KNBR in San Francisco.
Very nice fit for Longoria, who stays in the NL West https://t.co/10nySqsLx1
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) December 30, 2022
“A great fit for Longoria, who said at end of season that if he didn’t end up back in San Francisco, he wanted to go to Arizona or Tampa Bay,” tweeted Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
A great fit for Longoria, who said at end of season that if he didn’t end up back in San Francisco, he wanted to go to Arizona or Tampa Bay https://t.co/zgJY6dmqHA
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 30, 2022
A team like the Diamondbacks with several young players on their MLB roster can certainly use a player like Evan Longoria to become a clubhouse presence for them, so this signing could be beneficial for both sides.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.