The Rays have opted to send Evan Longoria down to AAA to start the season. The move could end up saving the Rays millions of dollars in a few years. By Longoria not entering the majors right away his “arbitration clock” will start later thus saving the Rays the extra cash.
The upside to a move like this is obviously saving the money. The Rays are not the Yankees, Red Sox, or Mets and can’t just pay millions all over the place. The other upside here is that it takes some pressure off of Longoria. The guy is already being looked at as a savior for Rays baseball. He clearly has immense talent and could be an asset to the club already. By holding off just a little bit he won’t be looked at as the problem if things go sour in April. Last year the Royals had Alex Gordon up all season and he really struggled.
The downside is pretty obvious as well: He’s good enough to start for the Rays right now. The Rays will probably start Willy Aybar at third base until they do decide to call up Longoria. While Aybar isn’t terrible, he’s not a star in the making like Longoria. The Rays have higher hopes than ever this season and their fans are looking for a .500 team for the first time ever. If they get off to a sluggish start in April the fans will be screaming for Longoria to get the call. The club won’t save as much money and will have upset their fan base. Makes you wonder if it’s worth it?
