Former SF Giants southpaw pitcher agrees to join the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB

Sam Long became a free agent after clearing waivers earlier this month. The former SF Giants lefty will now make a move overseas to join the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB, per a team announcement.

Former SF Giants southpaw pitcher agrees to join the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB

Long just competed a two-year run with the Kansas City Royals. He had a quality 2024 campaign, pitching to 3.16 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 17 walks in 42.2 innings.

In 2025, the left-handed hurler tallied a 5.36 ERA in 39 appearances. He was set to go through arbitration for the first time this offseason. That process is often an exercise that magnifies recent performance, so the Royals decided to part ways with Long.

In 2016, Long was an 18th-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Sacramento State University. He nearly walked away from baseball after being released by the organization in 2018. 

Long sat out the 2018 season, but decided to give baseball another try and latched on with the Chicago White Sox in 2019. He became a free agent after the 2020 season, and joined the Giants on a minor league deal.

The lefty pitcher received a camp invite and impressed the Giants’ coach staff in spring training. He debuted with them in 2021 and quickly looked like a nice find by the front office.

In his major league debut, Long yielded one earned run with seven strikeouts across four frames in a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. He pitched for the Giants in parts of two seasons, where he registered a 4.55 ERA in 40 appearances.

In 2023, Long was designated for assignment by the Giants. The move was to make room for outfielder Cal Stevenson, who had been acquired in a rare trade with the A’s. Stevenson collected 12 plate appearances with the Giants. I have watched a lot of Giants baseball in my life, but I do not think I can recall any of those 12 plate appearances.

A few days after Long was placed on waivers, he was traded to the A’s. Technically, it was not a player-for-player trade between the local rivals, but in a circular way, the Giants acquired Stevenson in exchange for Long.

Long now joins the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB. They finished in last place, with a 56-84 record. The Marines had several former big league players on the roster, including Gregory Polanco and Austin Voth.