After his contract with the San Francisco Giants ended last season, third baseman Evan Longoria had three places in mind he had hoped to land in free agency — the Giants, a return to the Tampa Bay Rays and the Diamondbacks.
Having played with the Giants, division rivals since 2018, Longoria had plenty of first-hand opportunities to see the Diamondbacks’ potential. He says he liked what he saw and it helped make the valley a potential destination.
After signing a one-year, $4 million contract on January 5, the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star has put pen to paper on his interest in Los Serpientes.
“I watched this team a lot from the other side of the diamond last year,” Longoria said. “I really believe this team has a chance to make a run and has a chance to be special. There’s a ton of young talent. The pitching staff, I think, is paramount to a great year, and so one of the things that was a big factor for me heading into the offseason was not only being able to find a place that suited me, but also a place that’s gonna try to put a winning team there and have a shot at being in the playoffs.
But the most important thing is his family. Longoria has three children – aged 10, 3 and 1 – and he hasn’t been able to spend as much time with them as he would have liked throughout his career.
Longoria’s home is close to Salt River Fields and Chase Field, so becoming a Diamondback was a natural fit.
“It would have taken a pretty big offer from another team to talk me out of doing everything I could to agree to the terms here because it makes so much sense for my family,” Longoria said. “My children are all looking forward to being able to attend as many games as possible outside of their school obligations.
“They want to be there; they want to be able to come to the field after games and spend the weekends at the ballpark and stuff like that. So I think mentally I’m going to be in a much better place than I have been for the past two years.
According to advanced stats like WRC+ and OPS+, Longoria had two of his best offensive seasons in 2021 and 2022 since 2016, where he homered 26 and hit 98 with the Rays. He hopes that success will continue here in the Valley and is looking forward to getting it started.
“Hopefully we can continue here,” Longoria said. “I’ve spoken with batting coaches in terms of what they do for the job, how they do scouting reports and all of those things. So, I’m really looking forward to pushing their brains a bit more and continuing to improve.
At the start of the season, Longoria is considering a potential squad situation with Josh Rojas at third base. He says he spoke “at length” with head coach Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen about his role before signing.
“The idea is just to be able to try to help this team win as much as possible where they want to,” he says. “So every year at the start of the season I try to prepare for a full season and be out there as much as possible. So that won’t change.
Longoria, 37, joins a team known in the league for its youth and potential for victory in the years to come. Going into the final stages of his career, he hopes to provide youngsters with advice on how best to prepare for games while being the best player and person on and off the pitch.
“I think having veterans in the clubhouse is invaluable,” he says. “And obviously, I hope to be kind of that guy for some of these guys who might be looking for that.”
Being a veteran, he adds, can help “victories show up in different ways.”
“If I can help a guy become the kind of player that we as an organization think he can be, we add wins in another way,” Longoria said.
“While I hope to be on the pitch as much as possible and contribute physically in terms of wins and losses on the pitch, my role has definitely pivoted a bit as I’ve aged over the past two years, realizing not only that I can help out on the pitch, but sometimes the impact is just as big trying to help these other guys become the best player they can be.
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