TAMPA -- Evan Longoria never really got a chance to say goodbye as a player.
He didn’t know that his last game with the Rays would come on Oct. 1, 2017, before they traded him to the Giants that December. He didn’t embark on a farewell tour with the D-backs leading up to Game 5 of the 2023 World Series, his last appearance as a Major League player. And he never properly returned to Tampa Bay as a visitor, only coming back to Tropicana Field last year with his family to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
But the greatest player in Rays history will have his moment next month.
The team announced on Monday that Longoria will sign a ceremonial one-day contract and officially retire as a Ray on June 7, with a pregame ceremony honoring his legacy and impact before Tampa Bay’s game against the Marlins at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“Tampa always felt like my home. The three places that I played, obviously played the longest there, and it's really always felt like the place that I should retire,” Longoria said in a phone interview. “Especially with not ever really having the opportunity to come back as a player, as an opposing player, it just seemed like this is the best way for closure.”
Longoria said he’s had conversations with the Rays about this for nearly half a year, but some previously made plans were derailed by the damage to Tropicana Field during Hurricane Milton, which forced the team to play this season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
It seems inevitable that the Rays will eventually retire Longoria’s No. 3 -- nobody has worn it since he left -- and add him into the Rays Hall of Fame. But those celebrations will have to wait, as the club put its Hall of Fame inductions on hold this year.
“Evan Longoria embodies what it means to be a Tampa Bay Ray. From the moment he stepped on the field, he brought excellence, leadership and a competitive spirit that shaped the identity of this franchise,” Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. “He, more than anyone, helped transform the Devil Rays into the Rays, and we are honored to welcome him home as he retires in the uniform where it all began.”
Longoria said he “always wanted to retire a Ray, in some way or another,” which is part of the reason he didn’t officially retire even when he didn’t play last season.
“I didn't want to go into a season saying, ‘This is my last season.’ And then when I decided I wasn't going to play anymore, it was just kind of like, ‘OK, well, it's done. I don't need to do anything else,’” he said. “I just never thought about, like, ‘Oh, I'm gonna announce my retirement.’ But as time went on, it just felt like it's the right thing to do.”
And this is the right place to do it.
Longoria’s arrival coincided with the Rays’ turnaround in 2008, and he remains the most decorated player in franchise history.
Having played 10 of his 16 MLB seasons with Tampa Bay, Longoria is the team’s all-time leader in WAR (51.7), games played (1,435), home runs (261), RBIs (892), runs (780), extra-base hits (618) and walks (569). He was the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner and finished within the top 10 of the AL MVP voting three times.
Further cementing his place in team history, Longoria is also responsible for some of the greatest moments in the team’s 28-year history. His most iconic moment was made into a statue placed outside of Gate 4 at Tropicana Field: him rounding first base, arms raised, celebrating the Game 162 walk-off home run that sent the Rays back to the postseason.
“Evan Longoria’s place in Rays history is unmatched,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in a statement. “Evan leaves the game as our all-time leader in nearly every major offensive category. He not only defined an era of Rays baseball – he helped put us on the map. His impact, both on and off the field, laid the foundation for our success, and it’s a privilege to celebrate his legacy.”
For all Longoria’s time with Tampa Bay meant professionally, it was just as meaningful personally. He said he felt like a kid when he arrived, selected third overall in the 2006 Draft. But he became an adult with the Rays, he said. By the time he was traded, he had met his wife, Jaime, and they’d had two of their three children.
With all those important memories in Tampa Bay, he said, there was no other place that made sense to officially call it a career.
“It was a personal honor of mine to be able to have a relationship with Evan and watch him play,” manager Kevin Cash said in a statement. “His work ethic, along with his performance, defines him as the best to ever put on a Rays uniform. The teammate he was and the way he and his wife, Jaime, supported our community, illustrated how much he cared. It is only fitting that he ends his career as a Ray because of all the contributions that he made to the organization over his career.”