3 Former Rays the Team Should Re-Acquire

1. Evan Longoria

It's somewhat of a reach because again, it's uncertain whether the Giants will rebound from their losing spell, and even if they don't, they could decide they have the organizational depth to compete next year and that would be a completely reasonable decision. Evan Longoria is older, defensively deficient, expensive, and the Rays are still technically paying a portion of his contract as part of an agreement they made when they traded him to San Francisco.

That said, it's not out of the question, and it would be really cool.

The most storied name in Rays franchise history could not be re-acquired unless they find some way to pay his $14.5M salary, whether that comes in part from the Giants or elsewhere. He has mused about retirement following the season, according to sources within the team. Both the Rays and the Giants have been disappointments to a certain extent, but as it stands, the Rays are the ones that can feel better about their postseason chances right now, and it would be almost too poetic to give Longoria one last ride with the team that drafted him.

Despite his age and the swirling retirement talks, Longoria has done some heavy lifting for San Francisco's offense in 2022. His .806 OPS ranks second among all healthy Giants regulars, and his .521 expected slugging percentage would be his 3rd-highest in the Statcast era, meaning that his power hasn't dwindled yet. He has struggled to stay healthy since being traded from the Rays, and any hypothetical deal with this team comes with obvious financial asterisks, but the best version of Evan Longoria could go a long way in bringing Tampa Bay's offense back to life. It would also be some kind of storyline for the romanticists who watch this game.