SAN FRANCISCO — When he was traded to the Giants last month, Evan Longoria said he didn’t really know many of the Giants players or coaches. He certainly knew which ones to reach out to, though.
During an appearance on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio on Monday, the new third baseman said he sent text messages to Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey shortly after the deal that brought him to San Francisco in exchange for Denard Span, Christian Arroyo and two pitching prospects.
What was the message Longoria sent the two stars?
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“Obviously I’m here to win and I’m here to follow your lead,” he said.
Longoria hasn’t played in the postseason since 2013 and he hasn’t been in a World Series since 2008. The Giants expect him to be an integral part of a bounce back season, and Longoria is currently set to hit third, right in front of Posey. The longtime Tampa Bay Ray said he has run into Jeff Samardzija and several Giants pitchers while working out at the team’s facility in Scottsdale.
“Slowly but surely I’ll meet these guys, but like I said, with Posey and Bumgarner those are obviously mainstays and kind of the faces of the team for quite some time,” Longoria said. “So I definitely wanted to make it a point to reach out to them and let them know that I’m here to be on their program and I’m excited to be here.”