MLB Twitter reacts to Evan Longoria signing one-year deal worth up to 5 million dollars with Arizona Diamondbacks: "Actually great pickup for them"

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent third baseman Evan Longoria, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Per Nic Piecoro, who covers the team for the Arizona Republic newspaper, the deal is for $4 million in guaranteed money, with another $1 million possible in incentives.

Longoria helps solidify the hot corner and provide veteran leadership for the young Diamondbacks. The 37-year-old has 15 major league seasons to his credit. With the move, he remains in the National League West with Arizona after playing the previous five seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

While Evan Longoria's best days are long behind him and he hasn't played more than 100 games in a season since 2019, the three-time All-Star and Gold Glover is seen by many as a solid acquisition to help the Diamondbacks as much in the clubhouse as on the field.

Of course, many fans pointed out that Longoria is far, far, far from the player who won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2008 and often appeared in the AL MVP voting as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Still, many fans believe – perhaps over-optimistically – that bringing Evan Longoria on board will help make Arizona contenders in the National League West. The Diamondbacks have largely languished at the bottom of the division in recent years, with just four playoff appearances in all since the team won the 2001 World Series.

After five seasons in San Francisco, the Giants were willing to let Longoria walk as his playing time dwindled precipitously over the past two seasons. After logging more than 500 at-bats as a Giant in 2018 and 2019, he had just under 600 at-bats combined over 2021 and 2022.

Evan Longoria never became the legend many thought he would be

Evan Longoriaof the Tampa Bay Rays stands in the batters box.

While Evan Longoria has had a solid major league career, he fell far off the superstar trajectory many projected for him when it began.

All three of Longoria's All-Star appearances came in the first three seasons of his big-league career. The apex of his time in the majors came in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, at the age of 23, Longoria followed up his heralded rookie campaign by hitting .281 with 33 home runs and 113 RBIs. The next season, he finished sixth in the AL MVP vote after hitting .294 with 22 home runs and 104 RBIs.

While his numbers didn't trail off that hard during his 10 years with the Rays, injuries followed by inconsistency left him as a second-tier third baseman capable of hitting in the mid-.200s with home run totals averaging in the mid-20s.