The recent influx of Cuban defectors is still ongoing and the latest news involves outfielder Yasmani Tomas, who will soon be signed by an MLB team. The 23-year-old left Cuba in June to pursue a contract in the MLB and the US government recently cleared him to work in the country.
So what MLB team would be interested in Tomas? Right off the bat it's safe to say the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants are probably interested because they all reportedly pursued the most recent Cuban defector outfielder, Rusney Castillo, in August. However, the Boston Red Sox landed him with a seven year, $72.5 million deal.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly mentioned last month that the Phillies could be interested in signing Tomas if they lost out on Rusney Castillo. And he could be right, especially since general manager Ruben Amaro, according to many, dropped the ball this season after failing to trade not one of their high-profile, big contract players. According to other GMs across the league, Amaro was asking for too much in return for players such as Cole Hamels and Marlon Byrd. Others who were gauging interest at the time included Ryan Howard, A.J. Burnett, Jonathan Papelbon, Chase Utley and Antonio Bastardo.
The Phillies sit in last place of the NL East division after entering the 2014 season with the third-highest payroll. If the team fails to/opts not to land Tomas to bolster their outfield, could the Tampa Bay Rays be interested?
Obviously, this would depend on the demand for Tomas because the Rays are a small market team and do not give their players big contracts. The last few Cuban players have struck big deals (Jose Abreu received six-years, $68 million and Yasiel Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million deal), but Tomas might not be wielding that kind of power. ESPN Insider Keith Law believes Tomas may receive a deal as such, but if he does it would solely be because of the success of players such as Abreu and Puig rather than his own skill set.
"A reasonable/optimistic projection for Tomas would be an average to slightly above-average regular in left field, with 25 to 30 homers, a low OBP and below-average defense," wrote Law in his blog.
It's rumored that the Rays are looking to shed payroll and are likely not picking up team options for second baseman Ben Zobrist and pitcher Joel Peralta, which total $10 million. The team could also part ways with Matt Joyce, Jeremy Hellickson, Sean Rodriguez and Jake McGee before next season because they're arbitration eligible. Outfielder Desmond Jennings is also eligible, and if the team opts to let him go, Tomas could be a solid solution in the outfield if he can be acquired at the right price.
Depending on owner Stuart Sternberg's final decision on the payroll, it'll be interesting to see if the Rays are active in free agency.
