Evan Longoria to sign 1-day contract to retire with the Tampa Bay Rays

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Evan Longoria will sign a one-day contract with Tampa Bay and officially retire as a Ray on June 7.

The greatest player in franchise history didn’t play last season after spending the 2023 season in Arizona but never officially retired.

Now he’ll do it with the team where he built his illustrious career.

“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.”

The third baseman was selected with the third overall pick in the 2006 draft and starred for the Rays from 2008-2017. He’s 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 American League Rookie of the Year in 2008, a three-time All-Star and won Gold Glove Awards in 2009, 2010 and 2017. Longoria finished sixth in AL MVP voting in both 2010 and 2013 and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2009.

Longoria’s image was made into a statue placed outside of Gate 4 at Tropicana Field to depict his celebration of a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of the final regular-season game of 2011 that sent the Rays to the postseason.

He was traded to San Francisco in December 2017 and played five seasons for the Giants before finishing his career with the Diamondbacks.

The 39-year-old will be honored in a pregame ceremony at Steinbrenner Field before Tampa Bay’s game against the Marlins.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB