Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas has been granted free agency by Major League Baseball, according to a tweet from his agent, Jay Alou. The 23-year-old outfielder had already been cleared by OFAC, meaning he is now free to sign with any club.
As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently wrote in his free agent profile of Tomas, the soon-to-be 24-year-old offers a rare opportunity for clubs to buy an early-prime power hitter on the open market. While the intriguing prospect is not without his risks, every team in baseball is said to have put eyes on him at a recent showcase. And the success of several countrymates’ recent transitions to the majors has opened the ceiling of the market for Cuban emigres. All said, Dierkes expects Tomas not only to beat the recent contract inked by Rusney Castillo (seven years, $72.5MM) but to land a deal that reaches a nine-figure guarantee over a seven-year term.
Recently, Ben Badler of Baseball America compiled a full, updated scouting report on Tomas, based in large part on his own scouting. Badler says that Tomas delivers 70-grade power (on the 20-80 scale), explaining that his hit tool is the major question regarding his future potential. While difficult to gauge with certainty, Badler offers that Tomas has surprisingly okay speed and should be at least a passable corner outfield defender.
Given his age and skillset, it is easy to imagine widespread interest developing in Tomas. Indeed, reports already abound of clubs that could be in on the bidding.
Here we go, let’s see how much he gets. I’m guessing 6 years $93M
I’m willing to bet he gets at least $100M
Yeah I do think a team will go 7 years and that will push it over $100M, but mine is just a guess. We’ll see.
I’m just glad the Sox got Abreu for what they did when they did, because most likely he is the best hitter to come out of Cuba period and the Sox got him for what seems to be a steal.
You are so right. As a Sox fan I’m glad as well. With Castillo getting $72 million, Jose Abreu would have been closer to $200 million for 8-10 years.
doubtful, isn’t Abreu already 27 or 28? he is in the middle of his prime now and will not get a lot better, he got what he got based on his age.
First of all, he’s at the beginning of his prime. Second of all, he is only going to get better. Imagine if he didn’t miss a few weeks and people actually pit he’d to him. Still, he was a triple crown threat as a rookie. Yes at 27, maybe 10 years $250+ million by the time you get the usual big spenders to go nuts and drive up the price.
I’ll be shocked if somebody doesn’t go over $100 mil.
Hot damn I wish the A’s could afford him.
You never know, they stole Cespedes, though it is still a bit unlikely.
Very true, got Cespedes for a pretty good price, but guys like Puig and Jose Abreu may have raised the market.
Castillo was way overpaid at 7 years, 70+ Million at age 27 and not as good as Puig, Abreu, Cespedes… or Tomas. There will be no more “bargains” from Cuba, the Red Sox set the bar so high, that’s why Tomas will hit 100+ Million.
I realize that he is a very good player… but watch him get 100M and turn out to be a bust.
How does a really good player become a bust? BJ Upton is a bust, Dan Ugglas was a Bust – Ryan Howard was a bust ONLY because his contract was extended when it never needed to be. EVERY 10 year contract will end up being busts as they will earn 25+ Million in their 37-40 years of age…
Tomas has been scouted by hundreds of scouts, his power projects to a 70 rating out of 80 (which should mean 30-35 HRs a year. Is there risk, sure… any contract over 4 years is a gamble… you cannot predict a player’s health.
That’s the risk.
But don’t be blind by the contracts given to 1st round picks either, and they sign for 10-20 Million to play in the Minors 1st. That’s a bigger gamble I think
Jon Singleton was also supposed to be a very good player… he struck out 134 times in 95 games… along with batting .168 Sometimes players have issues making contact. Players don’t always pan out like you think they will. Otherwise the first pick in every draft will become a superstar.
Singleton will be fine. Most rookies will struggle, just look at the Blue Chippers like Taveras, Bradley Jr, Baez, Boegarts, Profar, Wong, Zunino, d’ Arnaud, Villar, Polanco, and so on…
1B) Singleton (.168 / 13 HR / 44 RBI / 134 K) – 95 games
2B) Baez (.169 / 9 HR / 20 RBI / 95 K) – 52 games
SS) Villar (.209 / 7 HR / 27 RBI / 80 K) – 87 games
3B) Bogaerts (.240 / 12 HR / 46 RBI / 138 K) – 144 games
C) d’ Arnaud (.242 / 13 HR / 41 RBI / 64 K) – 108 games
LF) Taveras (.239 / 3 HR / 22 RBI / 37 K) – 80 games
CF) Bradley Jr (.198 / 1 HR / 30 RBI / 121 K) – 127 games
RF) Polanco (.235 / 7 HR / 33 RBI / 59 K) – 89 games
Ok one more prospect. Brandon Wood. Number one prospect in all of baseball for a while…. where is he now? Im not saying it is a guarantee for him to fail although, I am saying it’s possible although not likely for him to fail. Nobody is a sure thing, ever. Daisuke Matsuzaka? He was another big foreign talent and he did not fulfill his hype. Heck he might need a few months in AAA. Let’s wait to crown him the MVP like so many people wish to do.
Dice-K had some good years with the Red Sox, it was injuries that did him in, and yet even now, he is a decent reliever now. Japanese players were always harder to evaluate than Cuban ones. But for each Daisuke Matsuzaka, there was huge successes like Ichiro, Kuroda, Ryu, Tanaka, Cespedes, Puig, Chapman, Iwakuma, and so on… and Soler and Castillo look like the real deal as well. Abreu is awesome. I think there have been more successful “foreign” players come over than not.
Dice-k had one good season. And deeper statistics show the ERA was more of an illusion than anything.
that’ll be a heckuva line up in 3 years
Anytime you sign one of these foreign “stars” you take a huge gamble. That said, $100m would sadly not surprise me
Signed. Chapman, Cespedes, Abreu, Puig, Soler
Reds pls. They probably won’t, but one can dream.
How about Dom Brown for Cingrani and Heisey?
Especially after considering the pending free agents in the Reds rotation, I say no. I think it’d be better to keep Cingrani and hope he can be healthy and effective in the years to come.
Reds have no pending free agent pitchers for 2015. They have Cueto, Latos, Bailey, Leake, Simon and Axelrod as starters. Dom Brown is club controlled and cheap, and a change of scenery could do wonders for him. Brown to the Padres for Venable could be a good swap as well.
I was looking more at the 2016 season. Cingrani will be greatly missed if 5 of the 6 you listed are gone. I can see Leake and Simon being extended, but Cueto and Latos are going to demand more than the Reds can pay. It just makes more sense to me to trade one of those two away for a left field option, and hang on to Cingrani in the hope that he can return to his 2013 form. I wouldn’t mind seeing what Brown could do at GABP though.
I understand the desire to want to keep Cingrani, when healthy, he’s been good… that said, he’s not healthy and you don’t know what you’re getting when he returns. The Reds have the pitching and offense to make the playoffs in 2015 – and that’s what they need to shoot for before losing Cueto and/or Latos.
1) Hamilton (cf)
2) Phillips (2b)
3) Votto (1b)
4) Bruce (rf)
5) Frazier (3b)
6) Mesoraco (c)
7) Brown (lf)
8) Cosart (ss) – (Or Stephen Drew on a 1 year deal)
9) Cueto ~ Latos ~ Bailey ~ Leake ~ Simon
What happened to Cingrani? He was supposed to be the next big lefty after a fantastic 2013!
Phillies gonna overpay for this kid
and so they should…
I really like Tomas (from the limited stuff I’ve seen/read on him). But I feel like he’s going to be the first big overpay in the Cuban market. With that said, I still think the Phillies will make a very aggressive run at him.
Agreed. Overpaying and missing scares the bejesus out of me, but you have to take a reasonable risk to get a possible big reward.
Especially since the Phillies can’t seem to figure out how to produce a quality major league outfielder (which is unbelievable).
Hey, c’mon man! Marlon Byrd was in the system!….It took a decade-long roundabout way to get him back in a Phillies uniform, but he’s here!
but, yea…using Marlon Byrd as my one example kind of illustrates your point, doesn’t it? sadly…
The fact that they haven’t even hit on a semi-decent OF prospect in so long is astounding. You’d think by dumb luck alone they would have gotten even a 4th OF from their system by now. Only Ruben..
They have actually, but traded them away… Domingo Santana was traded to the Astros and will be a really good OF.
Anthony Gose – Michael Bourn – Marlon Byrd – Dom Brown – Michael Taylor – Pat Burrell were all Philly raised OFs. (JD Drew was drafted but not signed because of Boras)
And that’s all a part of it, they didn’t keep one. Burrell was the last OF they had who they drafted and actually turned into a good or even decent ballplayer (at least that I can think of).
Byrd didn’t doing anything til he turned 29-31.
Dom Brown has had exactly 1 good month in his disappointing career and his fielding bothers me 100 times more than his hitting.
Michael Taylor is 28 and still hasn’t done anything.
Michael Bourn developed into a solid player but did so in another uniform.
Anthony Gose and Domingo Santana are both still young and have had cups of coffee in the majors. I don’t think Gose’s bat ever comes around which leaves him as a 4th OF with speed and fielding. I think Santana can be a solid starter.
But even that list is rather unimpressive and not one did anything for the Phillies.
Pat Burrell was a HUGE reason they won the 2008 World Series. Bourn got us Lidge,,,, who was perfect in 2008.
If you couldn’t tell, I separated Burrell from the rest for a reason…
And again, my point put simply was the Phillies have failed to develop any OF prospect since Burrell that helped them on the field.
Yasmany Tomas, LF
Hit: 40/45+, Game Power: 50/60, Raw Power: 65/65, Speed: 45/45+, Field: 45/50, Arm: 45/45+
Upside: .275/.350/.480 with 25-30 homers, fringy defense & baserunning value in left field
Yanks could use this guy. They need some young hitters, and they can afford the contract. He can play the field part-time and platoon with Beltran, and DH the rest of the time so he gets in his at-bats.
That being said, the Yankees don’t really sign free agents under the age of 30 anymore so…there goes that…
They don’t really need outfielders though. Ells and Gardner are locked up for the next few years. And Beltran for 2 more. ARod will occupy the DH spot, so you can’t move Beltran there permanently. And free agent OFs you can grab on the cheap, or promote one of the many OF minor leaguers if need arises.
They should instead be in on the Cuban middle infielder that is trying to become a free agent. I forget his name. He’ll command a smaller commitment too.
EDIT: His name is Hector Oliviera. Search his name on this site.
Having A-Rod man DH really depends on if we can find a real 3rd basemen, no? I’d rather have Beltran DH, Tomas in RF and leave A-Rod and $30MM behind on the bench or DH some days against lefties.
He’s got a point though. Down on the farm right now is Aaron Judge, who is an absolute monster and drawing comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton and Dave Winfield. Big things are expected of him.
Still, it seems like a lot of the Cuban ballplayers coming over recently are Major League ready. Even if they need a little polish, such as Puig, they can definitely contribute at a very high level. I wouldn’t overpay for Tomas, but if he can be had for a relatively low amount of money ($90MM over 7 years, thereabouts) he could be a worthy investment. Aaron Judge likely isn’t going to be ready for at least another year, and the Yanks need to start getting younger now. Bring up Refsnyder, sign Tomas…might be a good thing.
He definitely does have a point, it’s not invalid. I just rather have more talent than less. I know Judge looks like a stud now, but you never know. And his value could only get higher leading to a major trade for the Yankees next year or down the road. Or we keep him and hopefully by the time Judge is ready we can move 1 of them to DH (probably Tomas). I don’t think Judge is a year away, I would say at least 2.
You don’t (over)pay for an OF, only to plan to have him DH in year 2 of 7. You can sign a DH for a quarter of that money. It doesn’t make sense. Plus, Yankees always have old players that need to DH (Beltran, ARod, McCann later, Tex, etc… )
Look, I’d rather have more talent than less as well, but contrary to popular belief, the team does not have an infinite amount of money. So you have to choose which talent is best suited for your team. And Thomas, or any high priced OF, is just not the way to go right now. The infield is hurting! Starting pitching is a huge question mark. Why not work on those two instead of addressing the outfield, which is a strength of the team already.
Haha, I know. We need some offense and while the infield is a spot to upgrade…there is not much from an offensive perspective we can upgrade here. Ramirez? He’s never healthy…so I can’t really figure out how to do it and this guy has a potential to be a special offensive player, but there is risk in it. I would like to see the Yankees also get a little active in the Cuban market, but that’s my own selfish desire.
Judge is a monster. But you’re right, he will probably be up in 2016, even though he looks about ready now. We do have a few ex-prospects that can contribute next season if they get it together in Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams, Tyler Austin.
I like Refsnyder. Hopefully he is the real deal and can stick at the mlb level. I also like Jagielo to displace ARod at 3B soon.
With all that being said, I think the OF is one of the strong points of the team, and the infield (and SP) is a huge weakness.
If we’re going to throw large money around, I would prefer it to be on the infield and starting pitching. Just my opinion.
I actually really like our pitching situation, health permitting. If Pineda and Tanaka are healthy, they could become a powerful 1-2 (Pineda’s THAT good). I have confidence that Shane Greene and David Phelps can be good 4-5 options for a full season. The wild card is CC. He’s got a lot to prove if he’s healthy.
Also, Pineda needs to stay away from the pine tar. Just…don’t open that can of worms.
Don’t forget about Nova, and is Kuroda a sure bet to retire? There’s also McCarthy who could come back.
Probably need to see Judge at least in Double-A first before having him in Yankee Stadium.
He looks ready now? He’s got less than 600 plate appearances in his entire pro career, and hasn’t even played above A ball.
I mean, he played well, and he’s definitely got potential, but I don’t think you can even remotely say he’s ready.
Right. I meant he looks like he is way ahead of where he currently is right now. Judge will probably be up in 2016 at the earliest, but he looks as if he will move through the ranks quickly.
Ah okay, that makes more sense.
Let’s cool it with the Judge / Stanton comparisons. Judge will be 23 in April and has yet to play above A-ball. At 23, Stanton had over 100 big league home runs.
Headley is a real 3B. Best d the Yankees have seen at 3B in a long time. If he can hit .250-.260 then he could be a good fit.
Sure is…if we can sign him.
I think the Yankees sign a FA Shortstop for sure. Prado will be the 2B, A-Rod will be the 3B.
1B) Teixeira
2B) Prado
SS) FA – Hardy / Hanley Ramirez / Lowrie / Cabrera or trade for Alexi Ramirez
3B) A. Rodriguez
C) McCann
LF) Gardner
CF) Ellsbury
RF) Beltran or FA – Cuddyer / Young / Sizemore / Hunter / Rios
DH) Beltran or FA – Cuddyer / Reynolds (3b/1b/dh) / Morse
I’m not sure who the infielder is, but we need that too. Somehow we need to come up with young, power hitters and some full-time infielders before ST 2015 if we want to reach the postseason.
His name is Hector Oliviera. MLBTR had an article on him a few weeks ago.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/09/cuban-second-baseman-hector-olivera-defects.html
Good numbers, but he’s already 29. Granted he could come on the cheap, but I’d rather see what Refsnyder can do than spend any money at all there.
I would like to see a platoon of A-Rod and Brendan Ryan at SS (not sure if that’s possible). They are the worst OPS for RF out of any team last season, I believe. So Tomas would help solidify that offensively in a big way. With Gardner and Ellsbury having great range, they could shade towards RF a little ways and minimize the weaknesses of Tomas’ fielding. I would also like to see them resign Headley, McCarthy, and Robertson, along with adding an ace SP like Shields, who has experience pitching in AL East. This could be their potential team next season:
CF Ellsbury
LF Gardner
DH Beltran
1B Teixeira
C McCann
RF Tomas
3B Headley
2B Prado
SS A-Rod/Ryan
SP Shields
SP Tanaka
SP Sabathia
SP Pineda
SP McCarthy
Victor Martinez is a player who I would love to see them sign, but I don’t how he would fit on their team with Beltran requiring DH spot and others being old.
No way A-Rod can play short at his age and with his hip conditions.
Ok. So then A-Rod has to platoon at 3B and/or DH
Relying on A-Rod is probably not the best idea. The organization doesn’t seem to have much confidence in him. They’ll give him a chance because he makes a ton of money. That’s about it.
Edit: I would absolutely bring Brendan Ryan back to play short. He’s a great defender. We don’t need offensive production from short, we can get that elsewhere.
Not that I wouldn’t take Troy Tulowitzki…
Yankees dont need this guy they have some talent coming up and they need to keep the DH spot open for Beltran and AROD and sometimes Tex
Reds are the best fit but cant afford him
Hamilton Phillips Merasco Votto Tomas Bruce Frazier Cozart
Sabean needs to pull the trigger. 2 of the 3 Giants starting outfielders are aging and very injury prone.
My slow-pitch team has offered him a 10-year/$250 contract with free wings and beer after every win. After losses he’ll only get free mozzarella sticks and onion rings. We’re still waiting for his agent to return our call.
I’ll play for same money on a 20 year contact. I’ll be 57 when it expires, so maybe we can add.some vesting options for my prime early 60’s seasons. I need edible security…. perhaps some Buffalo Wild Wings gift cards. After I’m 78 you’ll have to move on. I’ll want to watch my kids grow up and be a Dad.
You need to throw in the no-trade clause.
Great. Now let’s declare Brendan Rodgers, Brady Aiken, and Mike Matuella free agents or at minimum Cuban Nationals.
Why does baseball put these guys up on such a high pedestal? I imagine he’s good but he is still an unproven minor league level player in the MLB. At 24, there are many guys trying to make it in the minors. Why in the world is this guy worth so much more than all of them? Just because there are a few that have recently signed for big money (which is ridiculous) this fella should have to prove himself in an MLB program just like the rest. Professional sport contracts have gotten so stupid. It was before my time but it is such a shame that all players no longer have to play for their next years salary. Good players get rewarded with perhaps 3 years while the bad move on. Enough with the 7-10 year guarantees and the huge money for the unproven commodities.
Unfortunately, it’s all about supply and demand. And of course the lack of a salary cap. If a team has an owner that is unwilling to spend, that is that team’s problem as of right now. The thing with Cuban players like Puig, Abreu, and Tomas is that you don’t lose any players or prospects for them. And they come at a cheaper price than proven free agents. Just because a player is proven doesn’t mean that they can replicate that same success in a different lineup or park.
BigDeal was spot on. Sure, there are many guys trying to make it in the minors, but read the scouting reports on Tomas. Probably 99% of those guys have less talent, and sure he’s unproven, but so were Puig, Abreu, etc.
I feel like international free agents should have a 3 year max contract limit upon first breaking into the league. He’s already out of at least 25 teams’ price range.
How’s about subjecting them to the same draft that US amatuers must submit to?
Why does baseball put these guys up on such a high pedestal? I imagine
he’s good but he is still and unproven minor league level player in the
MLB. At 24, there are many guys trying to make it in the minors. Why
in the world is this guy worth so much more than all of them? Just
because there are a few that have recently signed for big money (which
is ridiculous) this fella should have to prove himself in an MLB program
just like the rest. Professional sport contracts have gotten so
stupid. It was before my time but it is such a shame that all players
no longer have to play for their next years salary. Good players get
rewarded with perhaps 3 years while the bad move on. Enough with the
7-10 year guarantees and the huge money for the unproven commodities.
Let the games begin! Here’s to wishing the Wilpon’s weren’t such so cheap.
Disagree, friend. Tomás is a righty-hitting RF with power who has never succeeded against competition higher than Single-A equivalent. The Mets have a guy named César Puello who outperformed Tomás’ numbers in AA and is also a righty hitter with power. Puello is also younger. Puello is also not considered a major prospect. Tomás’ numbers compare very poorly to guys who have succeeded from Cuba – Puig, Céspedes, and Abreu – and compares very well with guys who are struggling like Dariel Álvarez.
The bidding on this is going to get pretty intense. Definitely a heads-up play on the part of the WSox for nabbing Abreu before the ‘that escalated quickly’ point. I’m hoping the Phillies end up with the most attractive offer for this guy, but I really think Seattle and San Fran are going to make this difficult for the Phils. I think he goes to one of those three teams, but that’s a total guess
Major advantage for this kid to be declared a FA before the usual off season free agency period. He now has one month where he is the only free agent available. $100M not out of the question.
Used to think this guy was a no brainer for the Phillies to pursue. Young, power (something the farm is depleted of) and should be able to lock down for multiple seasons. But then I realized something… If the Phillies are high on this guy, is he actually good?
All of baseball is high on this guy… that’s why he’ll get a $100 Million / 7yr deal.
Of all the teams that can afford him, I think its the Phillies that NEED him most.
SF has Panda and Morse as FA’s… Lincecum is now a $17 million dollar Reliever. Volgesong is also a FA.
Yankees I think would rather go after Scherzer than Tomas.
Phillies need to rebuild, signing Tomas starts that process.
Trading Cole Hamels for 3/4 high prospects gets it in full gear.
A couple FA Pitchers like Peavy and Masterson/Hammel rounds it off along with trading everyone that can be traded. (Papelbon to the Yankees / Byrd to Seattle / Brown & Bastardo to the Blue Jays / Howard + 50 million to the Rangers / Revere to the Cubs.
Rollins and Utley stay. Franco plays 1B, Asche stays at 3B.
If Cliff Lee returns healthy and effective, he gets traded before July’s trade deadline.
Could be a very interesting winter for the Phillies… and it begins with Tomas and Hamels.
Why would the Rangers want Howard, even if he is cheaper?
Fielder is still a question mark, so Howard would serve as his back-up at 1B and full-time DH. Rangers have no DH. With Rios gone via FA, Choo will go to RF and Moreland back to LF. They won’t be able to get a 25HR/100RBI guy for just $5 million dollars a year for 2 years. They would be foolish not to trade for him. Say for Ryan Rua. The Rangers will need at least 2 FA Starting Pitchers and maybe a closer or set-up man.
1) S. Choo (RF)
2) L. Martin (CF)
3) P. Fielder (1B)
4) A. Beltre (3B)
5) R. Howard (DH)
6) M. Moreland / M. Choice (LF)
7) J. Profar (2B)
8) R. Chirinos (C)
9) E. Andrus (SS)
Moreland will have to play at DH considering he will be coming back from ankle surgery, and playing in the outfield would not be a good thing for him. Also, Howard is on a bad downward turn so there is little belief that he will still be able to hit that well any more.
Moreland will never come close to even a declining Howard. Like I said, for 5 million, the Rangers would be stupid not to trade for him with so many players still in question for 2015.
If Hamels and Howard are packaged together, then this could make for a very interesting fit. Phils wouldn’t have to eat as much salary and could get a high and low prospect back in return. Although the details of Cole’s NTC might complicate some potential offseason moves.
You are really undervaluing Cole Hamels…. By Baseball’s standards, he ranks as the 5th best Pitcher in Baseball. He alone will command at least 3 top prospects. Frankly, The Rangers don’t have what it would take to get Hamels, and yet you think 1 High and 1 low prospect plus a ton of salary gets you Hamels and Howard??? Keep dreaming. Ohh, as far as his partial NTC, he will select 9 teams to which he’ll approve a trade to… and among those will be teams that can offer big time players in return… Red Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs will all be in play for Hamels.
I think I’m being realistic on Hamels, actually, particularly as his value relates to a package with Howard. Tying him to the terrible Howard contract brings down his independent value a bit. You sound like Ruben Amaro with your overvaluing of Phillies players. Ramirez AND Elias from the Mariners for one year of 36 year old Marlon Byrd? keep dreaming. That kind of logic is exactly why he is still playing on a losing Phillies team rather than a contender
1) That’s EXACTLY why you don’t force Howard along with Hamels… Hamels gets you more all by himself.
2) Ramirez is out of options and reports are said that the M’s may just outright release him instead of offering him Arbitration. so yes.. Elias for Byrd, and Ramirez comes over just to get him off the M’s way… Elias is nothing more than a #4 starter… #5 on the Mariners… for a guy that has 49 HR’s the past 2 years, is good in the OF and right-handed… I’ll go as far as saying that because they refused to give up anyone good last year for Byrd, and settling on Morales, is why they finished 1/2 out of that wild-card.
Stop overvaluing YOUR guys… a #4 “at best” pitcher in Elias and a throw in of Ramirez that the M’s don’t want for a guy that has set career highs in HR’s 2 straight years is a GOOD Deal. Forget his age, he’s gotten better with age, and that’s a fact – and at only 8 million, you won’t find that on the FA market – a 25 HR / 85 RBI Righty that plays good defense. Just sayin… M’s want to make the playoffs.. make the move they should have last july.
He’s heading to NY. Either Yanks or Mets. I know Mets are unlikely but they have great pitching, they’re close. I’m willing to bet money he is in NY
Not a chance… Both have other priorities and the Mets don’t have 100 Million to spend. They need to sign a SS before an OF.
At 7 years $105 that Dierkes is saying he may get, almost any team can afford him except maybe the Marlins.
Padres should sign him so they can be the only team in MLB history with TWO Yasmani’s. 🙂
I’m going to assume this is the Mariners #1 target this offseason
I think once the Phillies get Tomas, and trade Hamels for Pitchers and OFs, they will renew trade talks with the Mariners for Byrd… and the asking price will be lower – either Ramirez or Elias. Byrd hit 25 HR and had 85 RBI and only cost $8 Million. They wanted him in July but Amaro must have asked for Walker and was refused… Mariners missed the WC by 1 game. They would be better off trading for Byrd this winter for Elias or Ramirez.
The Phillies can have Ramirez for free.
yeah, for Byrd it would take more than just Ramirez, how about Elias and Ramirez.
The Tigers could let both Hunter and VMart go via free agency and use that money to sign Tomas and slot him in the clean up spot behind Miggy. They would also get a first round pick for VMart. Once Moya is ready for the Big Leagues, say mid to late 2015, move JD Martinez to DH.
Tomas is still an unknown, do you really think he would be the clean-up hitter until he can prove to be as good as hyped? And even with his hype, He projects to hit a lot of HR’s, but with a lot of K’s and an average of around .260 -.265 / Miggy would never see a decent pitch as teams would rather test Tomas than test Miggy. They would be better off signing Cuddyer and Colby Rasmus. And then get some good relievers like FA Gregerson, Neshek and Badenhop. But they can afford to resign V-Mart and should.
1B) M. Cabrera
2B) Kinsler
SS) Iglesias
3B) Castellanos
C) Avila
LF) Davis
CF) Rasmus
RF) JD Martinez
DH) Cuddyer
P) Price ~ Verlander ~ Sanchez ~ Porcello ~ R. Ray or FA.
RP) Nathan ~ Gregerson ~ Neshek ~ Badenhop ~ Alburquerque ~ Hardy
mariners need to sign him
Come on Ruben do something!!
Yankees.
I love Cuban ballplayers. My favorites were Liván and El Duque Hernández, and José Contreras. Although I have fallen in love with Aroldis Chapman of late.
The Mets need to go after this guy. They have a hole in LF and at SS. This guy could definitely fill their hole in left for years to come. Then Alderson should call of the Cubs for, preferably, Starlin Castro or Addison Russell and trade some of their pitching prospects such as Marcos Molina, Rafael Montero, and Gabriel Ynoa.
Everyone knows the Texas Rangers have the most to gain by inking this guy. Stop kidding yourselves, they have the best organization for international players coming out of South America or the Caribbean leagues, BY FAR. Plus they have #4 draft pick and plenty of cash to throw around. I predict he will be wearing Ranger Red next season.