Evan Longoria Attends Tampa Bay Lightning Game: Could He Return to Rays?

Wednesday night, former Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria was in attendance for the Tampa Bay Lightning's 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Prior to the game's start, Longoria fired off the Tesla coils with Lightning in-arena host Greg Wolf.

Longoooo!!

One of the greatest @RaysBaseball players ever, Evan Longoria, fires off the Tesla coils w/ our guy @GregWolfTBL to get the @AmalieArena fans fired up before tonight’s @TBLightning @CanadiensMTL matchup!#RaysUp @Evan3Longoria #GoBolts #GoHabsGo #MTLvsTBL @953WDAE pic.twitter.com/jVceZFEDCx
— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) December 29, 2022

During warmups, Lightning star Steven Stamkos tossed Longoria a puck.

Not your average puck toss…

(cc: @Evan3Longoria) pic.twitter.com/4e2K0EnL3b
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 28, 2022

With Longoria returning to Tampa, could it be possible that he is exploring the possibility of a return to the Rays?

Longoria spent the first ten years of his career with the Rays, where he was a three-time American League All-Star and the 2008 AL Rookie of the Year Award recipient.

The Rays traded Longoria to the San Francisco Giants following the 2017 Major League season, for Christian Arroyo, Matt Krook, Denard Span and Stephen Woods.

Longoria, now 37, is now a free agent, free to sign with any team he chooses.

The Rays recently pursued free agent Michael Brantley, leading some to believe that their offseason is not over yet, and the club might want to add another veteran bat to their lineup. Brantley is a left-handed hitter however, and Longoria is a righty.

Longoria would give the Rays another option at third base and designated hitter, and could provide veteran leadership to a rather young team. Bringing him back would also be a very fan-friendly move. Fans would certainly welcome him back with open arms, just as Zack Greinke received love from Kansas City Royals fans, after he returned to the organization that drafted him, last winter.

There are no other hints or clues that Longoria has been in contact with the Rays, but a return at this time certainly does not seem impossible.

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