Rays third baseman Evan Longoria gave a vote of confidence to new manager Kevin Cash on Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
"I just think there comes a time when it's just the right time for somebody new," Longoria said. While that may come off as an indictment of former manager Joe Maddon, Longoria stressed that is not the case. "That's no knock on Joe. Obviously he did so many great things for the franchise and so many great things for me as a player. But I guess all good things come to an end at some point."
Having Cash around should inject some excitement into the team, according to Longoria. "I think it's a great time for Kevin to be able to step in and kind of experience the sense of newness with a lot of people. And the guys who have been here are excited for what he's going to bring."
The 29-year-old hit .253/.320/.404 over 624 at-bats last year.