Probably the greatest player in Tampa Bay Rays history, Evan Longoria was traded to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. On Saturday, Longoria took out an advertisement in the Tampa Bay Times to thank the organization and its fans.
Cool thank you from @Evan3Longoria to #Rays, fans and others in today’s @TB_Times: pic.twitter.com/jJ8Hi1pOK3
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 23, 2017
Indeed. Longoria has never known another MLB franchise. He was drafted by the Rays in 2006 and broke into the majors in 2008. And by the same token, Longoria was a central part of essentially every key moment in Tampa’s franchise history.
Prior to Longoria’s rookie year, the Rays failed to win anything more than 70 games in their first 10 years as an MLB franchise. In 2008, Longoria won the Rookie of the Year and Tampa won the American League pennant. The Rays returned to the postseason in 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2011, it was a walk-off home run from Longoria in the final game of the season that clinched the American League Wild Card spot for Tampa.
Longoria playing for another team will take some getting used to. This final goodbye was a wonderful gesture from the three-time All Star.