Tuesday BP: Evan Longoria would like to return for 2023 season

Good morning, baseball fans!

Hopefully you all had a fun weekend of watching the Giants win more baseball games than they lost (this is being written Monday afternoon, so let’s just go with that mindset and ignore what may or may not have happened last night).

After Wilmer Flores’ extension was announced yesterday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area posted an article about how Evan Longoria would also like to be back to play for the San Francisco Giants next season.

The decision, of course, lies with the Giants, who have a $5 million buyout option if they opt to go another route rather than bring him back for $13 million. Longoria, when healthy, has been one of the more productive members of the team. And although the bar isn’t exactly high in that regard, the Giants might decide to keep him around to provide what production he can while assuming he will likely miss chunks of time.

In the above linked article, Gabe Kapler says the following:

“What he’s shown on this trip and what he’s shown over the last couple of years is still a very effective Major Leaguer when he’s on the field,” Kapler said. “The trick is now to figure out how to keep him on the field as much as possible, not just for this year but for whatever happens for him next year.”

As much as I’ve always loathed the DH, it has actually opened the door for situations like this. There are options to keep Longoria fresh and in the lineup as much as possible with younger players getting more field playing time when he’s hurting.

Whichever direction the Giants decide to go in, they have until after the World Series to make that decision.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play game two of three against the Atlanta Braves tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT at Oracle Park.