The St. Louis Cardinals have been firmly entrenched in talks for Giancarlo Stanton. But St. Louis also has a reported interest in long-time Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.
“The Cardinals have also had discussions with Tampa Bay about its closer, Alex Colome, and a source confirmed those talks could shift or expand to include third baseman Evan Longoria,” Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. “The Rays are also reportedly looking to trim payroll, and the Gold Glove winner is due $86 million through 2022, $94 million if an option is exercised for 2023.”
Unlike the Miami Marlins with Stanton, Tampa actually has a reason to deal Longoria quickly if it wishes to trade him.
Stanton has a no trade clause. So, while he’s expected to make a decision shortly, he could also wait until a more ideal destination emerges, even if that means starting the year in Miami.
Longoria, meanwhile, doesn’t have a no-trade clause. But he will earn 10-and-5 rights early in the 2018 season, which would grant him the same protection. So, if, for example, the Rays were to wait until the trade deadline, they’d then have to deal with teams of Longoria’s choosing. Even that assumes that he’d want to be moved.
In addition to winning his third Gold Glove Award in 2017, Longoria hit .261/.313/.424 with 20 home runs.