Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas held an open showcase in the Dominican Republic on Sunday for almost 200 MLB scouts and some of them liked what they saw. It was reported that Tomas worked out privately for the Phillies and will now do the same with the Rangers, Giants, Marlins, Padres and Tigers.
The 23-year-old outfielder is waiting to be declared a free agent after he was recently cleared by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets and Control to work in the country. He's the latest Cuban defector to gain significant attention from MLB teams and joins the likes of Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, and others who have signed lucrative contracts.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reported that Philadelphia followed up Sunday's showcase with a private workout on Monday in the Dominican Republic and that the Texas Rangers are next in line for a workout with Tomas. The Phillies are likely making a big push for Tomas especially after they lost out on the last Cuban outfielder, Rusney Castillo, when the Red Sox offered the 27-year-old a seven-year, $72.5 million contract. However, if they continue to seriously pursue Tomas, it's believed they'll be paying in the $100 million range, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Tomas is likely to wield that much money solely because of the success of other Cuban defectors such as Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract in 2012, and White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who signed a six-year, $68 million contract in 2013. Castillo's deal exceeded both of theirs, which would indicate Tomas' deal will be the largest out of the four. The Cuban slugger batted .375 (6-for-16) with a double, two home runs, five RBIs and one walk in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
And although the Phillies are reportedly very interested in him, the bidding war could get intense because the Giants and Tigers, who were also front runners for Castillo, are expected to make a serious push for Tomas as well. Additionally, the Rangers are in need of a young power hitter, especially after their MLB-worst regular season performance this year, so we'll see if they're willing to pay big bills.
You can read more about Yasmani Tomas here.
