There seems to be some dispute surrounding the question of whether new Giants third baseman Evan Longoria’s contract is cheap or expensive, mostly because there is dispute as to how good Longoria is going to be for the next five seasons. If you believe that Longoria is a top-tier third baseman, as he was in 2016 and for much of his career, the $81 million he’s owed through 2022 is certainly worth it. If you think Longoria, 32, is the player he was last year, with a slash line of .261/.313/.424 and just 20 home runs, he seems a lot less like a bargain, and that’s not even taking into account an inevitable decline as he reaches his mid-30s.
Marcus Thompson of The Athletic seems to be in the latter camp, and is not convinced that Longoria is worth the price unless he ends up being a perennial All-Star.
“I think it better work,” Thompson said on KNBR Friday morning, chuckling. “Cause that price tag is something else right? But one of the things they need is pop, and protection in that lineup. Like if you’re banking on Buster Posey giving you 25 home runs that’s just not a good play. In the end, he’s got some power. That lineup isn’t as flimsy as it once was, I just don’t know if it’ll to be worth the price. If he looks anything like the captain of the Rays and all of that, then it might be good for you, but he is coming off a decline, and maybe that is he’s getting up there in age, or maybe that is he needed a change of scenery, we’ll see. But $80 something million is a lot of money for a third baseman with those numbers.”
Thompson seems to think that playing for a contender could lead to an uptick in Longoria’s production however.
“You’ve got pieces where you could actually, seriously think about a World Series right? Like you know if you get in and you’ve got Bumgarner and you’ve got some offense, you’ve got a shot at least, and if that doesn’t invigorate you I don’t know what will, on top of the checks. I’d be invigorated every two weeks. I’d be like ‘let’s go.’ But if you add a World Series possibility? Shoot, you should be lit.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Thompson’s comments on Longoria, skip to 2:20.