Though Asdrubal Cabrera figures to hold down third base next season, the Mets have at least explored the possibility of bringing in an external third baseman.
At the Winter Meetings, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the New York Mets have been showing interest in free agent third baseman and Toms River, New Jersey native Todd Frazier. Now, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times says New York has shown interest in Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria.
The 32-year-old has spent the entirety of his 10-year big league career with the Rays and is signed through 2022 with a club option for 2023.
In 2017, Longoria appeared in 156 games for Tampa Bay, clubbing 20 home runs and driving in 86 runs while hitting to a .261/.313/.424 clip across 677 plate appearances.
In the field this past season, he was good for 11 defensive runs saved and had a 3.2 UZR in 1240.0 innings at the hot corner.
Throughout his career, Longoria has been a beacon of health, appearing in at least 150 games in seven of his 10 Major League campaigns.
Next season, the three-time All-Star will earn $13.5 million followed by $14.5 million, $15 million, $18.5 million and $19.5 million in the following four years.
He’s likely to be traded before April when he gains 10-5 no-trade rights.
