Giants: Three options to replace Evan Longoria if traded

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 25: Evan Longoria #10 of the San Francisco Giants hits an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at the RingCentral Coliseum on August 25, 2019 in Oakland, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-4. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

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.

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