The secret is finally out!

After much speculation for the past week, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is dating Playboy model Jaime Edmondson. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times broke the news on Wednesday.

Yes, we are dating, said Longoria. It's been a secret for long enough; it's not really been a secret, but nobody has asked about it. We are dating.

Pictures of Longoria, 26, and Edmondson, 33, that have circulated around the Web, such as one of the two at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and back-and-forth Twitter messaging have fueled the speculation.

On Tuesday, Edmondson tweeted Hello Port Charlotte,'' which happens to be the Rays spring training base. About the same time, according to the Tampa Bay Times, Longoria made his first appearance of the spring at camp.

Longoria said Edmondson, who is Playboy's Miss January 2010, a two-time contestant on the Amazing Race and a former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader-is more informed on sports than people think.

She did a fantasy football blog the whole year, and she does a show on Sirius satellite radio, Longoria said. So it's pretty cool to be able to talk to somebody on that level outside of the whole modeling thing.''

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