SATURDAY: Tomas will work out for teams September 21 at the Giants’ Dominican complex, Ben Badler of Baseball America writes.
THURSDAY: Slugging Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas has been unblocked by the United States Foreign Office of Assets Control and is currently waiting to be declared a free agent by Major League clubs, and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez now reports that Tomas will soon showcase for MLB clubs. His showcase is “tentatively scheduled” for the end of next week, according to Sanchez.
Needless to say, it would be a surprise if all 30 clubs didn’t have some degree of representation at a showcase for a prospect of Tomas’ stature. The 24-year-old is said to possess 70-grade raw power (on the 20-80 scouting scale), and as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted when writing about Tomas being cleared by OFAC, both youth and power are prized commodities on the free agent market.
Tomas isn’t thought to be as advanced a hitter as Jose Abreu, but Sanchez reports that as has been the case with other recent Cuban signees, Tomas looks to be in markedly better shape now than when he was playing in Cuba. (Both Rusney Castillo and Yasiel Puig got themselves into much better shape upon defecting.) Sanchez notes that for his size — Tomas is listed at 6’4″ and 240 pounds — Tomas is surprisingly agile, and he also possesses a strong throwing arm. However, there are some questions about his glovework overall, and some international scouts do consider Tomas to be a fairly high-risk/high-reward prospect, Sanchez writes. Adding to the risk, Dr. Francis Montesinos has said to Cuban media outlets that Tomas did deal with a wrist injury recently in Cuba.
Nonetheless, Tomas ranks seventh on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings and should command a significant contract this offseason, as he is not subject to the international spending limitations due to his age and professional experience. The Phillies will reportedly make a push for Tomas, though he will of course have numerous serious suitors. It’s possible that he could top Castillo’s record $72.5MM guarantee with the Red Sox and/or Abreu’s $11.33MM average annual salary with the White Sox, but it’s still too early to tell what kind of contract he will command once cleared by MLB.
Would be nice to see the Jays get involved in one of these Cuban signings for once.
Cue the “he would be a great fit for [insert favorite team]” comments.
That being said, he would be a great fit for the Tigers.
I believe that the Tigers stayed within a budget with Castillo after accepting the fact that he could not help THIS season…. so they could save their dollars for Tomas.
The Phillies are my favorite team but he would look great for them even in an unbiased opinion. Without even playing a major league game, he’s an upgrade over any OF for the Phils. Maybe not Byrd yet but I could see it.
He’s 5’10, he looks just like Viciendo but leaner and stronger, plus power and plus plus arm (as good o better than Cespedes and Puig)
Who is 5′ 10″? Tomas is 6′ 4″ according to the article.
I’m Cuban I’ve been watching him for years no way he’s taller than 5’10 but is really really strong
One of the Mets’ glaring needs is a corner OF (the other being SS). So of course they will be nowhere near this guy.
Does Cuba have any star players left? Seems like a whole bunch of them defected recently…
Yankees need to get this guy
Working out at the Giants’ complex, eh?
Veeeeery interesting.
He’s 24 and has plus power. He would be a “great fit” on every team.