Kuzul

It’s November. That means turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and Evan Longoria to the Los Angeles Dodgers rumors.

Here’s one, courtesy of MLB Network’s Jon Morosi:

OK, that’s less a rumor and more informed speculation. And maybe Longoria-to-L.A. talk isn’t quite as inevitable as Thanksgiving.

The Dodgers trading for Longoria makes a share of sense, though. It’s also not a new idea.

Rumblings about the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman heading to Southern California cropped up at the 2016 trade deadline, per Morosi. At the time, however, the Dodgers employed Justin Turner at the hot corner.

Now, Turner is a free agent. The Dodgers have a hole to fill. Cue the Longoria chatter.

“Our most acute needs as we head into the offseason are the roles previously occupied by our two free agents,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. “We have to figure out what we’re doing at third base, and figure out an anchor for the back of the pen.”

Longoria is more than just any third baseman. He’s a three-time All-Star coming off a superlative season that saw him hit .273 with a career-high 36 home runs and 98 RBI.

He has ties to Friedman, who was general manager in Tampa Bay when the then-Devil Rays drafted Longoria with the third overall pick in 2006. Plus, he was born and raised in SoCal.

Longoria has six years and about $100 million left on his deal, but the Dodgers have baseball’s highest payroll. The Rays will likely expect a strong return of young talent, but the Dodgers have a deep farm system.

The dots connect. In fact, it seems like a borderline perfect marriage.

Here’s the central question, though: Is Longoria preferable to Turner? The Dodgers could simply re-sign their old third baseman, after all.

To begin, let’s stack the two players’ 2016 stats next to each other:

There’s remarkable symmetry, especially when you consider both players are right-handed swingers who were born in Southern California within a year of each other.

If we zoom back a tad, however, Turner gains an edge.

Between 2014 and 2016, Turner’s WAR (12.8) was higher than Longoria’s (11.9) by FanGraphs’ measure. Turner has also been a superior defender over the past two seasons, posting a 16.7 ultimate zone rating compared to Longoria’s 7.7.

Turning to the projection systems, Steamer foretells a .263/.324/.460 slash line for Longoria and a .285/.354/.466 line for Turner in 2017. 

That’s not to suggest Longoria is chopped liver. He’d slot nicely into a Dodgers lineup that features reigning National League Rookie of the Year Corey Seager, powerful center fielder Joc Pederson and veteran pieces such as first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and catcher Yasmani Grandal. 

In terms of dollars, Turner should command more than the $13 million Longoria is owed in 2017 and may well eclipse his average annual value for the next few seasons in a weak free-agent class. Something in line with the five years, $95 million the Boston Red Sox gave Pablo Sandoval in 2014 seems attainable.

Longoria, on the other hand, will cost more than cash. The Dodgers will also have to part with high-upside prospects to land him.

The small-market Rays are always seeking to shed salary, but even if the Dodgers eat all the money, they’ll have to dip into their MiLB stash.

That’s where the scales truly tip toward Turner. If he and Longoria are roughly the same player, why give up payroll and trade chips for one when the other will require only money?

Los Angeles will have to battle other suitors, possibly including the archrival San Francisco Giants, per Morosi. 

The Dodgers should make Turner a priority, though, and consider Longoria a distant plan B. The best move isn’t always the splashiest or the one that commands the most headlines.

Sometimes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

To put it in Thanksgiving terms: Longoria is the stuffing, Turner is the turkey. Gobble, gobble.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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The Tampa Bay Rays announced Evan Longoria was suffering from right hand soreness when he exited Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Although X-rays were negative, according to Topkin, a return date has yet to be announced.

Continue for updates. 

Duffy Replaces Longoria at Hot Corner

Monday, Sept. 5 

In the first inning, Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez hit Longoria in the hand with a pitch. Longoria was unable to continue, and Matt Duffy entered the game to fill in at third base.

Longoria Would Be Big Loss for Rays Lineup

This season, Longoria has rediscovered his superstar status that made him an MVP candidate early in his career. He previously looked like an injury-prone player, missing 117 total games in 2011 and 2012.

Since 2013, though, Longoria has been durable and reliable. He has played in at least 160 games and hit at least 21 home runs in each of the last three seasons, reaching the 30-homer barrier this season for the first time since 2013.

Longoria‘s power is essential to a Rays team that doesn’t have much of it. Brad Miller is the only other Rays player with more than 20 home runs in 2016. 

With Longoria on the shelf, Duffy may be the replacement in Tampa Bay’s lineup. Richie Shaffer could also be a call-up candidate, though the team has not shown any faith in his ability to be an everyday player in the big leagues through just 36 games. 

The Rays don’t have a lot of depth in the lineup, so losing Longoria will put more pressure on the pitching staff and defense to help them finish an otherwise disappointing season strong. 

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Evan Longoria signed an extension with the Tampa Bay Rays as soon as he arrived in the majors in 2008. And then another in 2012. Clearly, both sides want this partnership to continue for the long haul.

But it’s time for Longo to go.

This leads us to a trade “rumor” that seemed to come out of nowhere. Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com reported Monday that the Rays have opened up trade discussions with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their big boss is Andrew Friedman, who used to run things in Tampa Bay. He’s now the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. 

Morosi put one and one together and wondered aloud: “The next question then is the precise nature of those talks between the Dodgers and Rays—and if Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay’s three-time All-Star third baseman, is part of them.”

There are quotes around the word rumor up above because it isn’t so much a trade rumor as it is a trade thought. And indications are it’s not going to lead to anything. Morosi wrote there’s a “low probability” of Longo ending up in Los Angeles before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times echoed that. So did Chris Cotillo of SB Nation.

It would indeed be hard for the Rays to say goodbye to Longoria. The 30-year-old has been a great player for them for years and is playing the part once again in 2016. He entered Tuesday’s 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies with an .881 OPS and 21 homers. He added No. 22 in spectacular fashion:

Beyond still being productive, Longoria is also relatively affordable. The second contract extension he signed in 2012 doesn’t actually begin until next year, but it only guarantees him $99 million over six years. If he were a free agent this winter, he’d probably find at least that on the open market.

The Rays also have some time before the prospect of trading Longoria gets complicated. He doesn’t gain 10-and-5 rights and the power to veto any trade until April 2018. That gives them this winter and all of next year to trade him if they so desire. 

Just because time isn’t a factor, however, doesn’t mean the timing isn’t right.

No matter which way you look at it, the Rays are not in a good place. Their 36-57 record puts them in last place by plenty in the AL East and also all but guarantees their third straight losing season. After four playoff trips in six years between 2008 and 2013, they’re back to being an afterthought.

And they’re not in a good position to pull out of this tailspin anytime soon. 

The Rays aren’t going to buy their way out of their troubles. Topkin heard from Rays owner Stuart Sternberg last December that the Rays are still “a few years” away from a rich new TV deal. If winning couldn’t get the locals to show up to Tropicana Field, losing sure as heck won’t.

As Dan Szymborski wrote in ESPN.com’s MLB future power rankings, this makes the Rays dependent on a farm system that’s presently not strong enough for the task of rebuilding the club. Baseball America ranked it at No. 13 coming into the year and put just three Rays prospects in its midseason top 100.

Ideally, a Longoria trade would allow the Rays to address both problems: prospects for their farm system and a whole bunch of payroll flexibility to one day lock them up.

In a vacuum, a fair trade arguably involves a contender taking on the remainder of Longoria’s contract and nothing else. Although $99 million doesn’t sound like too much money, it’s a figure he’s unlikely to outperform. He is on the wrong side of 30, you know.

But on this summer’s market, it’s easy to imagine a needy contender being willing to sweeten the deal. The Dodgers aren’t the only club that could use a third base upgrade. Also on that list is their biggest rival, the San Francisco Giants, as well as the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets.

Of course, what will be a weak free-agent market could allow the Rays to find just as sweet a deal for Longoria this winter. Morosi seemed to recognize that, writing “the discussion of Longoria will be more worthwhile in November.”

What the Rays have no guarantee of, however, is if Longoria will look as appealing this winter as he does right now.

Yes, he’s having a great season. But it’s coming on the heels of two just OK seasons in 2014 and 2015. He only posted a .744 OPS and clubbed 43 homers. Though his turnaround this season has occurred mainly in the power department, Neil Weinberg of FanGraphs broke down how Longo has had to sacrifice contact and use of the whole field to make it happen.

If pitchers adjust, his success with that approach could be short-lived. Or, a regression in the final two months of the season could come from natural causes. At 30 and with quite a few miles on his body, an injury or a slump wrecking Longo’s season wouldn’t be shocking.

The whole situation is reminiscent of the one the Rockies were in with Troy Tulowitzki last season. The Rockies had been adamant about keeping him in the past, and Tulowitzki himself definitely didn’t want to be traded, as he indicated in an interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today back in February. But the timing was right, so there he went.

The Rockies saved some money in that deal and also got a pretty good prospect in right-hander Jeff Hoffman. Had they not made it, well, look at Tulowitzki now. He’s had his moments with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he has mostly battled bad health and up-and-down production. If these problems had occurred in Colorado instead, the Rockies might be stuck with him.

Trading Longo would be no more pleasant for the Rays than trading Tulo was for the Rockies. But with his value high and their present and future looking grim, now’s the time to make that call.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The MLB just got interesting. 

Not that it wasn’t before, but things really kick up now with the All-Star break in the rear view, a summer of trades and teams jockeying for postseason position right down the road.

While a notable team like the New York Yankees might be close to getting off on an exit along the way, it could throw them right into the land of major trades with sellers looking to dump talent and contenders looking to gobble it up.

From Carlos Gonzalez to Evan Longoria and more, there’s plenty in the way of major notes MLB fans should understand as the march toward the postseason continues.

Carlos Gonzalez Watch

The Colorado Rockies know all about getting subjected to rumor after rumor, mostly thanks to the aforementioned Gonzalez.

Six games under .500 and third in the National League West, the Rockies once again enter the fray as a team finally perhaps ready to move on from Gonzalez, who has been with the team since 2009.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal revealed (37-second mark) the Rockies have once again received calls and offers on Gonzalez, but the front office hasn’t gone out of its way to pursue anything so far.

This meshes well with strong public denials about a trade meeting earlier this month from general manager Jeff Bridich, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo.

The Rockies have made unexpected trades in the past, but Gonzalez is still just 30 years old and rolling right along with a .318/.367/.548 slash line with 19 homers and 56 RBI. For the most part, he seems on pace for another strong campaign even if the team isn’t performing as well as the front office might like.

It could change in an instant, but for now, the Rockies don’t sound like a team willing to deal a core piece.

Dodgers-Rays Trade?

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays might want to strike a deal.

This is simple enough. The Dodgers sit well ahead of the Rockies in the NL West at 52-42, hoping to keep pace with the San Francisco Giants, a team sitting 5.5 games ahead. The Rays, on the other hand, sit dead last in the American League East at 35-57, a full 18.5 games out of first place.

MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi cited sources saying the two teams are engaged in talks, referencing Los Angeles’ president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, as the catalyst thanks to his past role as Tampa Bay’s general manager.

On the topic of Longoria, Morosi wrote the following: “Based on information from sources over the past several days, I believe there’s a low probability of the Dodgers acquiring Longoria before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.”

On one hand, it’s easy to see why the Rays would keep the 30-year-old slugger around. He’s going for .289/.338/.543 this year with 21 homers and 50 RBI—an epic tear for a guy who hasn’t shown any signs of slowing.

On the other hand, as Morosi noted, no team would scoff at Longoria‘s contract, and Tampa Bay getting out of the biggest contract in franchise history could turn out to be a smart decision in the long run.

Also of note is the fact Longoria‘s value may never be higher. Given trading for players with long deals doesn’t happen often, Tampa Bay might decide to throw in the proverbial towel and strike a deal now. It’ll hurt the team and fans to lose one of MLB’s most recognizable faces, but so it goes.

The Dodgers can only hope the Rays see the logic.

Cleveland Wants Andrew Miller?

It’s easy to name the Cleveland Indians’ biggest weakness this year because there’s only one: a left-handed reliever. 

The Indians sit on a 54-38 mark in the AL Central and have a mind to pluck talent from the middling, .500 Yankees. An odd role reversal, but it is what it is, as Rosenthal pointed out:

This is far from the first time Andrew Miller has come up in trade rumors, with Bill Ladson of MLB.com also recently noting the Washington Nationals have an interest in his services, as well as Aroldis Chapman’s. Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball said the Chicago Cubs do as well.

What’s the hype with Miller? At 31 years old, he’s putting up one of the best years of his career, sitting on a 1.31 ERA with seven saves over 41.1 innings pitched. According to Spotrac, he’s also only boasting a base salary of $9 million over two more years after the current campaign.

Odds are the Yankees don’t cough up such a talent unless a trade offer blows the front office out of the water, meaning the Indians will have to come with a major offering.

It’s up to the Indians to make the call. The current composition of the roster has the team reaping the benefits of smart moves over the years. Messing with it and perhaps dishing a key part to bring Miller on board could hurt the winning equation.

Then again, pitching wins titles. If it comes to a bidding war for Miller’s services at the deadline, expect the Indians to remain right in the thick of it.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Anchored at the bottom of the American League East standings, the Tampa Bay Rays will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 1, and a big question is whether franchise stalwart Evan Longoria could be on the move.

Continue for updates.

Report: Longoria Trade More Likely in Offseason

Monday, July 18

According to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, the Rays are discussing potential deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the trade deadline. Morosi threw out Longoria as one of the players included in the discussions but added the chances of him playing in L.A. this year are slim:

[Justin] Turner is among the biggest barriers to a Longoria trade over the next two weeks. He’s popular in the clubhouse and integral to the lineup, with a .942 OPS since June 1. It’s unclear if the Dodgers would be willing to move Turner to second base for the remainder of the season in order to clear room for Longoria, a two-time American League Gold Glove Award winner at third base.

The Dodgers may calculate — reasonably — that there’s little chance of Longoria being dealt to another team prior to Aug. 1. The Astros had been in the market for a third baseman, but that is no longer the case following Friday’s deal with Cuban free agent Yulieski Gurriel. The Giants have had interest in Longoria before, but they’re not believed to be engaged in active talks with the Rays about him now.

Trading a franchise cornerstone is never easy. And Longoria is one of the few players remaining from the Rays teams that regularly contended for the playoffs.

At the same time, Tampa Bay is going nowhere in the short term, and trading Longoria could return an asset or two who could further the team’s long-term rebuild. The Rays would also be wise to strike while the iron is hot in the event they envision parting ways with their starting third baseman anytime soon.

Longoria, 30, is putting together a strong 2016 season. Through 89 games, he’s has a .286/.336/.533 slash line to go along with 21 home runs and 49 runs batted in. According to FanGraphs, Longoria’s 3.5 WAR has him on pace to have his best year since 2013.

His value may never be higher than it is right now, so the upcoming winter may be a good time for the Rays to seriously consider moving him.

Longoria will be owed $100 million over six years starting in 2017, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. While teams generally shy away from trading for players signed to long deals, Longoria won’t be earning so much that his contract dissuades every potential suitor.

Longoria is no longer the hitter he was in his first four years in MLB, but he’d almost certainly command a lot of interest throughout the league if the Rays ever made him available.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria suffered a shin contusion on Thursday. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

Longoria Out vs. Phillies

Thursday, March 17

The Rays announced that Longoria would not return to Thursday’s game against Philadelphia with a left shin contusion. After the game, manager Kevin Cash told reporters the third baseman was sore but walking around fine and didn’t need X-rays. He added that Longoria could be the team’s designated hitter on Friday. 

Longoria Remains Among MLB‘s Best When Healthy 

While Longoria, 30, saw his numbers take something of a dip last year, he’s still one of Tampa Bay’s most important players. He hit .270 with 21 homers and 73 RBI in 2015, which marked the seventh time in the last eight years he’s hit at least 20 home runs and driven in 70 runs.

When healthy, he remains one of MLB’s best third basemen. 

The three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2008 Rookie of the Year has played in at least 160 games the last three seasons, so this latest setback is a disappointment given his recent durability.

Longoria only managed to play a combined 207 games out of a possible 324 between the 2011-12 seasons, but it appeared his injury woes were behind him. The Rays will certainly be hoping this latest injury is nothing more than a minor setback, as Longoria remains a key piece to what they hope will be a postseason contender.

With Longoria sidelined, Tampa Bay will likely give exciting prospect Richie Shaffer a long, hard look at third base in Longoria‘s place.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has returned to the lineup after leaving a June 15 contest against the Washington Nationals.

Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times confirmed Longoria’s return, as the Rays star is playing third base and batting third. 

The Rays confirmed that Longoria exited Monday night’s game after being hit by a pitch on his left wrist. Nick Franklin went in as his replacement. The team later announced the injury was a wrist contusion and that he was day-to-day. 

Longoria recently missed three games from June 6-9 with a sore left wrist. 

His numbers have been down this season, though his average is right around his career average. The Rays’ franchise leader in home runs, RBI and doubles is not in the top five of third baseman candidates in the 2015 All-Star Game voting, according to MLB Communications. 

He is currently batting .269 with six home runs and 29 RBI. 

In his eighth season, Longoria is a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Who will represent the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game?

This question is a reflection of how the team has played so far this season both individually and collectively. 

Since 2008 the question surrounding the Rays’ All-Star selections has been how many players the team would send. The franchise has sent at least two players to the Midsummer Classic each season since changing the name to the Rays.

This year will likely be very different. Based on the recent voting results, the Rays will not have a player starting in this year’s All-Star Game. Evan Longoria came the closest, but Josh Donaldson from the Oakland A’s is running away with the lead in votes for third base.

It would be plausible to envision a scenario where the Rays have no player on the team if the rules did not guarantee representation from every team.

Since somebody has to go, who will it be?

This list will look at the most likely candidates to represent the Rays in the 2014 All-Star Game. 

The players were selected based on performance this year and popularity. The criteria for the list are the same as the criteria that usually factor into All-Star selections. 

Players like Derek Jeter do not have to be the best player at their position by statistics or perception. Due to his global popularity, he will receive a large quantity of fan votes each season. There is nothing wrong with that since it is the All-Star game, not the All-Stats game. Fans want to watch their favorite players. 

That does not mean that performance is unimportant. Players who are excelling at their position usually earn their way onto the roster.

This was the case for Fernando Rodney in 2012 on his way to his record-breaking .060 ERA season. He had a 0.93 ERA and 25 saves before the All-Star break and earned his first career All-Star selection that year.

Here is a look at the Rays’ best candidates for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game.

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A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Jaime Edmondson only really needed a few to convey her tremendous news. She and Tampa Bay Rays star Evan Longoria are getting married. 

Here is the wonderful news via tweet from Edmondson followed by confirmation from The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Tompkin. 

If you are wondering, the little girl who steals the show in the photos is the couple’s bundle of joy, Elle. Back in March, Tompkin reported the little girl was born on Feb. 20, six weeks earlier than expected.

Now the couple has a way of getting out ahead of the usual media frenzy that accompanies such a story. Back in Dec. of 2012, Edmondson decided to officially announce that the couple was pregnant with an equally adorable picture of a baby jersey hanging right alongside Longoria‘s. 

Longoria rewarded the Rays for their six-year, $100 million contract extension with a strong season, playing in 160 games, batting .269, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 88 runs. 

Edmondson is Playboy’s Miss January 2010 and, as she references in her Twitter bio, a sports blogger for the magazine. 

Tompkin reports on Tuesday that the couple have explained they are hoping for a January 2016 wedding, which seems like a ways off, but then you consider they have more pressing matters.

The report states the two are actually more concerned with expanding their family first, so we may see another small-jersey picture before wedding images appear. 

Now there isn’t a great deal of information on how Longoria popped the big question, merely that he did so about a week before Thanksgiving, meaning we are all the last to know. 

Good luck trying to find a clue on either’s Twitter feed. Although, Edmondson did tweet this out on Nov. 23.

Whatever it was, I am sure Longoria did it with class and sophistication, staying clear of the trap of asking his future wife at a live sporting event. 

With that, we offer Edmondson and Longoria well on their trip toward matrimony and, as it seems, their ever-growing family. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

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The Tampa Bay Rays have a tough road ahead.

After 162 games, the Rays finished the season tied with the Texas Rangers for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. A tiebreaker Game 163 was required to answer the question of whether the Rays would even make the postseason in 2013.

Monday night the Rays answered the question by defeating the Rangers 5-2.

The road will only get tougher for the team that has not been home since September 23.

If the Rays make it past the Cleveland Indians in the Wild Card Game they will travel to Boston to face the Red Sox on Friday. Game 1 of the ALDS would be the team’s fourth road game in four cities in a span of six days.

Here are the four biggest questions facing the Rays, other than did the players pack enough laundry for the road trip that keeps going.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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