My namesake and former Long Beach Dirtbag third baseman, Evan Longoria signed a 6-year deal worth in excess of $17.5 million that could be worth up to $44.5 million over nine seasons.  

Longoria was the 1st Round pick (3rd Overall) by the Tampa Bay (Don’t call them Devil) Rays in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.  Despite only playing in six Major League Games, the Devil Rays felt comfortable enough with their third baseman of the future to shell out the cash to lock him up through the age or 29 and potentially until he is 32 years-old.

“First of all, I like being here (Tampa Bay),” Longoria said. “It’s an enjoyable place to live and play. Why not be here and be part of the nucleus of the team, the core group of young guys? As a player, you have to look out for what’s best for you. For me, the security of a long-term contract and knowing that now I’m pretty much set for life, it’s just very assuring to me.”

Security is right.  In a world as finicky as Major League Baseball it’s becoming more appealing to the young stars of tomorrow to “get paid” with 5 or 6 year deals that cover through their first two years of arbitration.

Longoria followed in the footsteps of Colorado Rockies Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki at Long Beach State, and has now appeared to do the same with signing a long-term deal early on in his career.  In January, last year’s NL-Rookie of the Year Runner-Up Troy Tulowitzki signed a 6-year deal worth nearly $31 million meaning that he’ll be a mainstay in the Rockies organization for years to come.

“We’re always open-minded,” Rays’ executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “On both of our parts there’s a risk reward. The point is, at this point in time, both sides feel very good about it and very comfortable.”

Congrats Evan on your Major League call-up and payday.  We’re all big fans here at lbpost.com and thanks again for sharing a few minutes with us during the Super Bowl.