After 16 seasons in the big leagues, Longo is now ready to sail the seas.
The Tampa Bay Rays announced on Monday that franchise icon Evan Longoria is set to retire from Major League Baseball. Longoria will be signing a one-day contract on June 7 to officially retire as a member of the Rays.
Now 39 years old, Longoria did not play at all last season but did not announce his intention to retire either. After going unsigned up to this point of the 2025 MLB season as well, Longoria has decided to call it a career.
The righty-hitting third baseman Longoria is widely viewed as the greatest player in Rays franchise history. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft by Tampa Bay and experienced a rapid ascent. Longoria was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and also featured heavily during the Rays’ run to the World Series that year.
Overall during his 10 seasons with Tampa Bay, Longoria was a three-time MLB All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner at third base, and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2009. Additionally, Longoria is the Rays’ all-time franchise leader in a multitude of categories (including home runs, RBIs, walks, and games played).
The Rays would eventually trade Longoria to the San Francisco Giants before the 2018 campaign as part of a cost-cutting move, and he spent five seasons there with multiple years of 15 homers or more. Longoria then signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 but was clearly over the hill with a career-low .223 batting average in 74 games.
Recently, Longoria has still managed to stay in the news thanks to his outspoken social media presence. Now Longoria is set to put a fitting bow on his playing career by retiring with the one team that he will forever be associated with (and beloved by).
