Former Giants third baseman Longoria confirms unofficial retirement originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Former Giants third baseman Evan Longoria apparently called it a career.
The three-time Gold Glove winner confirmed his retirement in an interview with Tampa Bay Times Published Tuesdaysaying he waited long enough to know he stopped playing.
“There were a few years at the end of my career where I questioned this internally and kept going back and forth,” Longoria told the outlet.
“I just wanted to come out of the game and play with a good taste in my mouth.”
After a decade-long stint with the Tampa Bay Rays that included three All-Star appearances and Rookie of the Year honors in 2008, Longoria spent five seasons with San Francisco from 2018-2022.
Longoria spent his final season in Arizona, helping the Diamondbacks reach the 2023 World Series. He hasn’t played since that fall classic.
Longoria added that the D-Backs’ deep postseason run last fall helped make the decision easier before the offseason. Still, he hasn’t completely ruled out a return this season, as he hasn’t filed official retirement paperwork.
“There aren’t many opportunities I would take advantage of,” Longoria explained. “One of the only things I couldn’t do was win a World Series. So if you said I would bat .080 for the rest of the season but the team would win the World Series, then I would do that. But that’s probably the only thing I’d like to do.”
Even without that elusive championship ring, Longoria ends up with an impressive resume – arguably one of the best in Rays franchise history. Few players can boast multiple All-Stars and Gold Gloves to go along with Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger awards. Over 16 seasons, he hit .264 with 342 home runs along with a career bWAR of 58.6.
Although he only played in 81 games during San Francisco’s 107-win 2021 regular season, Giants fans fondly remember his game-clinching home run in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2021 NLDS .
For now, Longoria is enjoying the relaxation that comes with avoiding the grind of an MLB season. He also isn’t trying hard to find something new, instead focusing on being a father to his three children.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7348981/SSP_97.0.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "Microsoft confirms that its Paint 3D app will be discontinued in November")
