Evan Longoria’s Rays legacy includes helping Kevin Cash

SEATTLE — Being traded five years after signing a second contract extension he thought would keep him a Ray for life is still a point of conversation, if not contention, for Evan Longoria.

Asked the obvious question about his initial thoughts facing his former team for just the second time since being traded to the Giants, the current Diamondback quickly went there:

“Obviously the (2008) World Series, but also being traded is a big memory, too. I’ve talked a lot about thinking that I was going be there for forever,” he said. “The reason why I signed the (two long-term) contracts that I did was I thought that that was going to be where I would be the rest of my career.”

The Rays at one point felt the same way; his second extension guaranteed him $100 million and ran through 2022. But a run of four straight losing seasons and the opportunity to shed $60 million-plus in payroll to repurpose in a rebuild became more appealing. Longoria did praise the Rays for the way they handled the deal, keeping him informed.

Longoria had done plenty for the Rays on the field, with a lengthy list of awards and indelible moments from 2008 on, topped by his 2011 Game 162 homer, and he was a leader in their clubhouse.

He also had a hand in another Rays success story: helping then-37-year-old Kevin Cash transition to managing for the first time when he was hired to replace Joe Maddon in 2015.

“I remember giving him a lot of crap,” Longoria, who was 29 at the time, said, laughing. “It was my first experience with having a guy who I played against on the same field be a manager. Not only be a manager for me and the same team, but it was just kind of an eye-opening moment for me, like, ‘Oh my God, am I getting old, or what’s going on?’ But now I realize that the manager’s office was just getting younger.”

Longoria and Cash quickly developed a bond and a mutual appreciation.

“It was actually a really cool experience for me to have the relationship that I did with him,” Longoria said. “It never felt like a friend; I always had the respect for him as a manager. But I did try and kind of lend more of a player perspective in terms of what you look for in a manager.

“I think he always had a good awareness of that. I think that’s why he’s had the success that he’s had as a manager, his ability to kind of read the situation, understand what guys need and kind of be both a players’ manager but also a leader when you need him to be.”

Cash said Longoria was a huge help.

“How lucky was I to have a player of that stature that had been there, done that, to be able to kick ideas off and just build a pretty cool relationship,” he said. “It meant a lot.”

Longoria, who made clear his strong desire to return to Tropicana Field and don his No. 3 Rays uniform again in some capacity, even ceremonial, addressed several other topics.

Longoria, now 37 and on a one-year deal with Arizona, also said:

• He doesn’t know how much longer he will keep playing — “I feel like I have played forever already” — and would consider coaching, but he will first want to take some time off with wife Jaime and their three kids.

• Making Don Zimmer the first inductee to the team Hall of Fame formed this year “was the right call” and “pretty cool” to see. He has kept in touch, at times by text, with Zimmer’s widow, 92-year-old Soot. “She keeps tabs on me more than anybody,” Longoria said. “Seriously, I don’t know how she does it.”

• The help and mentorship Rays veterans Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd provided him as a 2008 rookie — “They just taught me how to be a big-leaguer” — became a driving force in how Longoria serves as a leader to young players.

• Though he and his family live year-round in Arizona, they plan to keep their waterfront house in St. Petersburg and visit annually.

• His 2008-14 time in Tampa Bay was quite formative in “becoming a man.” “I feel like I grew up there as a player and as a person, and made my home there and met my wife there and just a lot of different things.”

Draft breeze

The Rays have four picks among the top 88 in the July 9-11 draft, starting with No. 19. ESPN MLB reporter Kiley McDaniel has the Rays using the 19th pick on Parkview (Georgia) High third baseman Colin Houck; mlb.com has them on Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw; the website The Athletic writer Keith Law predicts Jesuit (Oregon) High right-hander Noble Meyer. … Among the pair of touted local prep infielders, ESPN has Strawberry Crest shortstop Arjun Nimmala 13th to the Cubs and Mitchell High third baseman Aidan Miller 22nd to the Mariners; mlb.com has Nimmala to the Cubs and Miller 14th to the Red Sox; The Athletic has Nimmala 17th to the Orioles, Miller 21st to the Cardinals.

Rays rumblings

Yandy Diaz took home a special souvenir from Phoenix, a No. 3 Rays jersey he had signed by Longoria. … One interesting scenario for pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who will have his flexor muscle strain re-evaluated by orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister this week and could be cleared to resume throwing, is returning late season as a multi-inning reliever. … In one of those big moments for a younger sibling, a recent ESPN article identified the Rangers’ Nate Lowe as “Josh’s brother.” … With the Rays set to host the Phillies and Braves, home attendance is up 25% through the same point last season, though the 17,260 average ranks 27th, ahead of only the Royals, Marlins and A’s. … Wade Boggs will be inducted into the Rays’ Hall of Fame on July 9, with the team providing one of the most fitting fan giveaways ever: a can cooler. … With pitcher Taj Bradley graduating off the prospect lists, fast-rising infielder Junior Caminero is the Rays’ new No. 1, per mlbpipeline.com, and 16th overall. …. Yankees pitcher Domingo German’s perfect-game masterpiece against the A’s last week has a side benefit for the Rays, who no longer are the last team to be perfect-gamed, as they were since were since Felix Hernandez’s August 2012 gem. … Those wacky minor-league promotions are getting personal, with the Rays’ High-A Bowling Green affiliate planning “Dad Bod Night” on Thursday.

Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Rays.

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