Evan Longoria sends farewell message to fans after trade

Evan Longoria is on his way to San Francisco after being traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Giants on Wednesday. But before he puts on a Giants jersey for the first time, Longoria wanted to say thank you and goodbye to the Tampa Bay Rays and their fans. He did so with an Instagram post:

Every day I was a Ray was special. From the bottom of our hearts, my family and I say THANK YOU! Thank you for making the Tampa Bay Area a community my family and I loved being a part of. We will never forget that.

A post shared by evan longoria (@evan.longoria3) on Dec 20, 2017 at 4:37pm PST

Longoria was drafted by the Rays No. 3 overall in 2006 and didn’t take long to become a franchise cornerstone. He won Rookie of the Year in 2008 and was an All-Star during his first three seasons. He helped the team to its first and only World Series appearance in 2008, and then to their only three other playoff appearances after that.

Longoria is owed $81 million through 2023. The Giants are banking on him being able to live up to his contract over the next several years.