The AL East just got a little easier: Tampa Bay Rays trade star 3B Evan Longoria to San Francisco Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants acquired infielder Evan Longoria and cash from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday for outfielder Denard Span, infielder Christian Arroyo and two minor league pitchers.
The 32-year-old Longoria leaves Tampa as the longest-tenured player in franchise history, after spending nearly 10 seasons in a Rays uniform. He is the club’s all-time leader with 1,435 games played, 261 home runs and 892 RBIs. Of the 30 post-season games in Rays history, all 30 have featured Longoria starting at third base.
Longoria hit .261 with 20 homers and 86 RBIs last season. He is expected to fill a significant void for San Francisco at third. Longoria has played at least 156 games in each of the past five seasons. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and won three Gold Gloves.
The 33-year-old Span has hit .283 with 60 homers and 432 RBIs over 10 years in the majors. He led the Giants last season with 73 runs scored despite a stint on the 10-day disabled list. He previously played for the Nationals and the Twins.
Arroyo is one of the Giants’ top-ranked prospects. San Francisco also is sending right-hander Stephen Woods and left-hander Matt Krook to Tampa.
Elsewhere in the American League East, Orioles closer Zach Britton has torn his right Achilles tendon in off-season training, a significant injury that could cause him to miss part of the 2018 season.
Baltimore executive vice-president of baseball operations Dan Duquette on Wednesday confirmed the torn Achilles tendon. It was not immediately clear how long Britton would be out.
Britton had 15 saves and a 2.89 ERA with the Orioles this past season. In 2016, had a 0.54 ERA and was perfect in save opportunities with a major league-leading 47.
The left-hander, who turns 30 on Friday, is arbitration eligible after making $11.4 million last season. Britton can become a free agent after next season, which made him a strong trade candidate before the injury.
Britton has converted 135 of 145 save opportunities since becoming the Orioles’ closer in 2014.