Longoria signs long term w/ TB - updated
by rdf8585
on Apr 18, 2008 12:52 PM EDT
"The Rays have signed 3B Evan Longoria to a long-term deal that could be worth more than $44-million over nine years. The first six years are guaranteed for $17.5-million and the Rays hold a one-year option for 2014 and a two-year option for 2015-16."
http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2008/04/rays-to-make-ma.html
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"Longoria gets $500,000 this year, $550,000 in 2009, $950,000 in 2010 and $2 million in 2011, a salary that would increase to $2.5 million if he is eligible for salary arbitration that year. He receives $4.5 million in 2012 and $6 million in 2013.
Tampa Bay has a $7.5 million option for 2014 with a $3 million buyout, with the buyout price increasing to $4 million if Longoria was eligible for arbitration in 2011.
By November 2014, must decide whether to exercise an option calling for salaries of $11 million in 2015 and $11.5 million in 2016. His 2016 salary can rise to $14 million, depending on his finish in MVP voting.
If Longoria's 2014 option is exercised, the 2015-16 option would carry a $1 million buyout."
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3353025
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Seems like a coup to me
Even if he never becomes better than league average, that deal should pretty much pay for itself. Potentially locking him up two years past free agency is icing on the cake.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
by Brickhaus on Apr 18, 2008 1:13 PM EDT 0 recs
Great Deal for the rays
Now lets get BJ Upton signed longterm
BJ Upton will win an MVP by 2012
by lovemethebj on Apr 18, 2008 1:43 PM EDT 0 recs
Good for Rays, bad for baseball?
As a fan of the team with the third-lowest payroll in baseball, it’s common sense for me not to like this trend, and the Longoria signing is the most outrageous example of a team overpaying a player through his club-control years. The Rays still had three years of Longoria at $328,000, and they’re going to turn that down and fork over the big bucks? Even after being so fooled by Rocco Baldelli? Sure, 44 over nine sounds like a deal for a franchise third baseman, and 17.5 over six sound like an even better deal, but what happened to one million over three pre-arbitration years? The more teams that fork over the dough to kids with 20 big league at bats, the worse it is for all of us, especially those of us who are paupers by makor league standards.
http://www.myspace.com/ryanmac10
by RyanFromBonas on Apr 18, 2008 2:40 PM EDT 0 recs
You're kidding, right?
Do you know what they’re giving people for arbitration these days? $17M for his 3 arb years alone is about right unless he bombs. If he’s a star, then it’s a huge discount. And that’s this year, not three years from now when prices will be about 10-20% higher.
But the real windfall is the options. They’ll basically get him for half price if he’s a stud at that point. And if he’s not? Well, then you just decline them.
And that’s not even talking about how good it is to have your “face of the franchise” type signed. For a club like the Rays, which is desperately trying to shed it’s image as a perennial bottom-feeder, it makes public relations sense in addition to economic sense.
by mraver on
Apr 18, 2008 10:49 PM EDT
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This early?
Seriously, I really like Longoria as a prospect, but this just seems like a short-sighted decision to sign a guy for this long with this little MLB experience.
Acting like Longoria is assured of being MLB average at worst during this deal is just silly. How many guys over the past 5-10 years have looked awesome as a rookie but then flamed out? I can think of many.
by deezle on Apr 18, 2008 2:53 PM EDT 0 recs
I disagree
The trend that should worry all the teams is the rising price tags of serviceable big leaguers. The average salary of a big leaguer – any big leaguer – is $3 million this year.
I would take a potential franchise player for that price for six years, when it’s the same cost for someone of average ability.
Longoria has been a top prospect on the level of Hanley and Justin Upton. It’s very astute of the Rays to sign him at this price.
It’s the only way a team with a low payroll can proceed.
If they don’t sign him and he explodes, he’s out of their price range. If he doesn’t pan out – they still lose out and will need to pay some one good a lot of money or someone average the same amount as they’ve signed Longoria to now.
by unspider on Apr 18, 2008 2:57 PM EDT 0 recs
that average is a very silly number to quote
In fact, the price of replacement-level and bench-type players (except for Juan Pierre) is really quite low. Rather than go out and spend a few million on a good bench guy, teams can just call up some AAAA slugger, save $2M and not suffer much loss in production.
The money that players are getting is going disproportionately to the stars. That’s where it makes sense for teams to spend money, so that’s where they spend it. It’s the stars rather than the “serviceable” guys that are seeing dramatic increases in salary.
Which is why this is such a good move for the Rays. You get a guy with star potential at a price that doesn’t have a whole lot of downside. $17M guaranteed over 6 years?! A pittance!
by mraver on
Apr 18, 2008 10:53 PM EDT
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good move
by the Rays.
a) it generates good will between him and the club
b) it generates good will between the club and its fans regarding their commitment to winning
c) it’s a smart financial move to lock up a great player and presumable leader who’ll definitely be a “Super-2” and would have gone to arbitration a year earlier than expected.
by waka25 on Apr 18, 2008 3:04 PM EDT 0 recs
Great move
In a division where you just can’t spend what the big boys are spending, it’s a smart way to go.
I am starting to believe that the Rays are starting to get it….
Ripken.....thanks for the memories...
by bodyiq on Apr 18, 2008 3:13 PM EDT 0 recs
Hated It.
I just can’t get behind giving out this sort of contract as a very small market club to a player with this little experience. I’m actually loathe to ponder a deal like this even in the case of a Tulowitzki.
Evan Longoria is a top prospect, sure. But there’s no guarantee that he won’t flame out/get hurt/lose his nerve and if that happens, this contract will be an anchor for a team with a very slim margin for error.
At the very least, I'd want to see a full season out of Longoria, if not more. At minimum, if he goes Alex Gordon on the Rays, they might be able to sign him cheaper than they would have otherwise.by GuyinNY on Apr 18, 2008 3:14 PM EDT 0 recs
Display
I don’t know if this is just for me, but at the end of my last comment there’s an odd gray bar. In it, I wrote “At the very least, I’d want to see a full season out of Longoria, if not more. At minimum, if he goes Alex Gordon on the Rays, they might be able to sign him cheaper than they would have otherwise.”
by GuyinNY on
Apr 18, 2008 3:15 PM EDT
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Disagree
17 million over three years is not an “anchor”, even to the Rays. Besides, Longoria is a hitter, not a pitcher. Even if he’s bad and a below average major leaguer, paying 3 million for him will seem like a bargain. If he was a pitcher, with all the risk they bring, I would understand. Worst case scenario for the D-Rays is not that bad. They pay 3 million per year for 6 years to a guy who winds up as a slightly below average player? I think they can live with that, considering the best-case scenario is they locked up a top 3rd-baseman for the next 9 years at well-below average market costs
Furthermore, with the amount of money being spent these days by teams in free agency, 6 years from now those options years will seem even more ridiculous than they do now
-1 and only member of the Jed Lowrie fan club!
by Jgaztambide on
Apr 18, 2008 3:41 PM EDT
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at first
I thought this was too early but now that I look at this if Longoria busts than it basically becomes a 3 year 16 or 17 mil deal for all the arb years which really is not too much for a mediocre 2b/3b sort if he can turn into at least that.
Nice rise for the kid. As far as I know big college programs weren’t going after him out of HS so he spent a year at Rio Hondo JC and went to Long Beach and put up ordinary numbers (granted, in a huge pitchers park) as a sophomore as was overshadowed by Tulowitzki. The first I really heard serious buzz from him was BA putting him on their Top Cape Prospects list and then he breaks out as a junior.
by nms on Apr 18, 2008 3:44 PM EDT 0 recs
I think it's safe
Longoria is a true pro. He’s been that way for a long-time. He lives, sleeps and breathes baseball. He signed for $3 million the day after he was drafted when he could have tried to Scott Boras his way to $4 million-plus. When it comes to the business side, the kid is low maintenance. I can’t blame the kid for wanting to get the ugly part out of the way and concentrate on baseball.
There is some risk involved, but Longoria’s career path reminds me of Troy Glaus. I think he’s the ideal comp. Without all the injuries, Glaus would be building a borderline HOF resume.
by sdbaseballfan on Apr 18, 2008 5:01 PM EDT 0 recs
Good move for the Rays
I think this is a good move for the Rays, hard to see how he makes less than that over the period going year by year if he fufills even a fraction of his potential. Also hard to argue with Longoria guaranteeing that he will be a very wealthy man no matter what else happens. Interesting side effect is that any fear of him being a super two is now gone. He is up for good.
by Dalman on Apr 18, 2008 7:10 PM EDT 0 recs
It's not a should've situation
Upton got almost double the signing bonus Longoria got. He’s financially set for now. After his year last year, he might not want to sign a LTD. He very well might want to go to arbitration and test the FA market. If I had a huge year in the show, I sure wouldn’t be quick to sign a LTD. Because if you back that up with another huge year, your arbitration payout could be huge. Upton could get as much as 7 million in his first year of arbitration, 10 his second and 12-14 his 3rd. That’s about 10 million dollars more than Longoria got. It’s more risky, but the payout is potentially huge.
Tools Whore
Sign Bonds!
by Tyler on
Apr 19, 2008 2:44 PM EDT
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