Tampa Bay Rays

Evan Longoria is 'upset' that the Rays traded Logan Forsythe

Published Jan. 24, 2017 8:55 a.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Evan Longoria has been through this before during his nine seasons with the Rays. There has been a steady exodus of talented players from the Tampa Bay organization over the past decade-plus because the small-market franchise can’t afford to keep all of its stars and always must plan for the future.

Thus, you take the good (four playoff appearances since 2008, including a trip to the World Series) with the bad (three consecutive losing seasons) as the team walks a fine line of trying to contend and rebuild simultaneously.

However, Longoria, a three-time All-Star who is coming off a 36-homer, 98-RBI season, didn’t hide his disappointment about Monday’s deal that sent second baseman Logan Forsythe to the Dodgers in exchange for pitching prospect Jose De Leon.

"I'm surprised and upset at losing a player, clubhouse presence and friend like Logan," Longoria told the Tampa Bay Times. "He's a rare player."

Logan Forsythe

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Rays ace Chris Archer, who has been the subject of trade rumors for months, also weighed in on the move:

https://twitter.com/ChrisArcher22/status/823694089300414464

https://twitter.com/ChrisArcher22/status/823698164989444096

Forsythe, 30, hit a career-best 20 homers with 24 doubles, 52 RBI and a .264/.333/.444 slash line, and clearly was a respected clubhouse presence. Just another player Tampa Bay must try to replace.