Giants: Three options to replace Evan Longoria if traded

If the San Francisco Giants found a way to trade third baseman Evan Longoria, it would create a void at the hot corner. Who could potentially fill that void?

Evan Longoria had a nice season with the San Francisco Giants in 2019.

The 34-year-old posted a 102 OPS+ with 20 home runs and was worth 2.4 WAR overall.

After a rough introduction to the National League in 2018, Longoria rebounded nicely, and I examined whether the Giants could parlay this rebound campaign into a trade.

The inherent problem with that idea is that the Giants do not have an obvious internal option to fill the void that a Longoria trade would create.

He was the primary third baseman for the Giants in 2019, appearing in 119 games at the hot corner. Behind him, the remaining action went to:

• Pablo Sandoval – 45 games
• Zach Green – 5 games
• Cristhian Adames – 3 games
• Corban Joseph – 2 games
• Donovan Solano – 2 games
• Yangervis Solarte – 2 games

From an organizational standpoint, third base is clearly not a position with a lot of depth. From the list above, it would be a minor surprise if any of the players besides Solano played for the Giants in 2020.

Sandoval will likely miss a good chunk of next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The recovery period is usually shorter for position players than the 12-16 month recovery time required for pitchers. However, he is not under contract for 2020.

If the Giants were to swing a Longoria trade, they would likely need to look outside of the organization for his replacement.

Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson are the top third basemen on the free-agent market, and both will command a significant investment from any prospective team.

With that being said, signing a top third baseman does not necessarily feel like a move team president Farhan Zaidi would make. It also does not feel like the right move given where the team currently is in the competitive cycle, after wrapping up a third straight losing season.

Nevertheless, there are still some attractive alternatives at the hot corner that won’t break the bank, if the Giants do in fact find a taker for Longoria.

Ahead is a closer look at three potential replacements to consider in the event of a Longoria trade.