FanPost Roundup: Community reactions to the Longoria trade

Rays fans got Christian Arroyo for Christmas, and while that wasn’t necessarily what we asked for, by this point, the day after, we’re making do. We’ve spilled plenty of virtual ink on this deal, and probably won’t be done until Arroyo enters the Hall of Fame. But before we shift out of high gear on our trade coverage/therapy writing, let’s pause and note the trade coverage/therapy writing done by our community.

Essenpee wrote a letter:

Because you're gone to San Francisco now. Because $tu wanted to save a buck. Because yours was the biggest contract he could relieve him of. Because greed. I know it's not your fault. I would never blame you, lover.

It’s good. And surprisingly earnest from Sandals, who I’ve always pictured as a good bit more heartless of a hipster than this. Maybe Sandals surprised himself too, signing this way:

With more love than I knew I could give,

But let’s go back to the start.

Hi. How's it going? It's been a while since my last letter, but this one might be the last.

So there have been others? Can we please read some of the others?

Adam Sanford Cannot Quit

Adam’s written four articles about the trade, training his historicizing gaze on Longoria’s career, focusing on Denard Span’s contract and upside, inquiring into who will play third base for the Rays next year, and projecting an opening day roster.

Those were all necessary. Sanford is a good soldier. But, as it turns out, he has feelings too. In doing so, I think he hit on why this is so hard for so many of us.

Staunch opposition of Evan Longoria being traded, including myself, proclaimed all off-season that Longoria would be Rays first ever franchise player and that if they were to trade him, it’d have to a mega deal that blew them away.

And the question for fans going forward—we know this is the way it will be, even for the best players, like Longo. How do we fans deal?

It’s what makes them so fun and so terrible to root for as they try to compete with the most storied franchises in the game.

Once Christain Arroyo asserts himself, or Willy Adames, or Brent Honeywell make their names in the majors, we can expect them to be shipped along as well once they become too expensive for the budget strapped Rays.

It’s just life as a Rays fan.

Jim Wyman Reports

If this is therapy, I don’t know what Jim is suffering from. Certainly not the same as No Pants and Sanford. Jim admits as much, so I’m going to razz him for that a bit:

Evan Longoria somehow was really enjoying his time in Tampa, which is something that is rare to come by. Not a knock against the city, I’ve been a few times and never had a bad experience.

Then he goes on to describe the experience of sitting in the Trop and hearing Red Sox or Yankees fans. WE KNOW.

Now I’m going to razz some more.

One of the most shocking moves of the offseason for me occurred while I was getting a haircut. I was sitting in a chair watching MLB Network while my mom took a razor to my luscious locks . . .

Jim, how old are you? Your mom still cuts your hair?

Thing is, if Jim is eight, he’s awful precocious, because, aside from the fact that he clearly doesn’t follow Marc Topkin on twitter and hasn’t seen Topkin’s constant harping on the possibility of the trade, this article is really quite good. He touches on how Longo was about to become a 10-5 player, and describes what that means, accurately sums up the positions of both the Rays and the Giants (luxury taxes, positions on the win curve, etc.), and seems to have a handle on what both clubs might do from here.

Nice job, Jim. Hope the haircut was good.

Shanekeegan161: Just the Facts, Ma’am

While the rest of us were dealing with existential angst, shanekeegan161 wanted to know what had happened. Who is Christian Arroyo? Who is Matt Krook? Who is Stephen Wood?

Arroyo was the #1 prospect in the Giants farm system and is the #3 3b prospect in baseball. In 25 games in the minor leagues Arroyo hit .396 with 4 HRs and 2 stolen bases. He struggled in his limited time in the big leagues last season hitting just .192 in 34 games with 3 Home Runs.

Matt Krook is a left-handed starting pitcher and is ranked as the #25 prospect in the Giants organization. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2016 draft after pitching one season coming off of Tommy John surgery. In high-A ball Krook appeared in 25 games with 17 starts posting a 5.12 ERA.

Stephen Woods is a right-handed starting pitcher and currently ranked as the #29 prospect in the Giants organization. Woods was originally drafted out of high school by the Rays but turned them down to attend Albany where he posted a 6.10 ERA in 3 years. He then was drafted in the 8th round of the 2016 draft by San Francisco. In A-ball last season Woods had a 2.95 ERA in 25 starts.

Thanks shanekeegan161. We appreciate your quick thinking and clear head. The information is nice.

This holiday season, we are thankful for our community. We really are.

You too “can use a fanpost or a fanshot to become a DRaysBay All-Star.” Directions in that link. Maybe someone (like me!) will make fun of you for it. We do it because we care.

Thanks, y’all.

With more love than I thought I could give,

Ian