Wow...the D-Rays have jumped ahead of the curve on the "sign your best players to long-term deals early" trend, locking up Evan Longoria to a deal that could be worth $44 million through 2016.
If Longoria is the superstar a lot of folks think he can be, this deal is a home run for the D-Rays. If Longoria is another Sean Burroughs or Ben Grieve, well...the D-Rays aren't in that bad of shape, because after 2013 (when he gets $6 million), the remaining years of the deal are option years.
Outstanding signing by the Rays.