Evan Longoria Expands His Team Wish List Because…Well, Supply & Demand?

When he became a free agent, 37-year-old Evan Longoria came out and insisted he was only interested in playing for three teams—the San Francisco Giants (his incumbent team), Tampa Bay Rays (his former team), and the Arizona Diamondbacks (no known reason!). 

But apparently after checking around to see what sort of demand for his services there was, he’s expanded his wish list to… well, pretty much any team. 

Free agent Evan Longoria hopes to play one or two more years and is open to any competitive team. Longoria, who turned 37 last month, has 120 career OPS plus (114 in 2022). Can play 1B as well as 3B.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 20, 2022

Bob Nightengale of USA Today had previously reported that Longoria was only considering the three aforementioned teams as potential free agent landing spots. Insider Jon Heyman now reports that he's open to "any competitive team" and would like to play one or two more years. 

The Giants, who Longoria has been with for the last 5 years, had a $13M club option but declined it, instead sending him off with a $5M buyout. In his half-decade in The Bay, Longoria did not perform at anywhere close to the levels he was at in Tampa earlier in his career, and failed to play in more than 129 games in any single season (actually averaging less than 100), due to a multitude of injuries. 

His numbers in 2022, when he played, were certainly serviceable, with a .767 OPS and 14 homers in 89 games. But any team that takes him on should not be counting on Longoria for a full-time role. As a backup 1B or 3B in limited play, however, he could be a nice veteran add. 

Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports