Yasmani Tomas to hold private showcase for Phillies
As I previously reported here on Call to the Pen, the Philadelphia Phillies are the team that is likely going to go after, the soon to be free agent, Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas.
It will allow them to boost the middle of their lineup without having to sacrifice a draft pick or sink more money into one of their already aging players. Since Tomas will be exempt from international bonus pools because he has played for at least five seasons in Cuba he will be a free agent without any strings attached.
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Not that one player can “fix” a team but it sure couldn’t hurt.
The Phillies had been very interested in the last recently defected Cuban player Rusney Castillo. They lost out on him to the Boston Red Sox who signed Castillo to a seven-year $72.5 million contract. Even though the Phillies did make a push to sign Castillo, it wasn’t enough.
Tomas whose slugging numbers set him somewhat apart from Castillo, will likely end up with a deal upwards of $100 million dollars. The Phillies are prepared for numbers like those and they have schedule a private work out with the 23-year-old.
Ben Badler from Baseball America writes,
"The Phillies have a private showcase scheduled for today with Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas at their facility in the Dominican Republic, according to a source. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro is among the Phillies contingent that is expected to be on hand to watch Tomas."
The private showcase may help the Phillies, as a number of teams are interested in Tomas. He has had an open showing for the San Francisco Giants last week in which many other scouts were in attendance.
The opportunity may help the Phillies develop a relationship with the young man who would not only strengthen their lineup next year but be a part of the Phillies rebuilding process. The current team is aging and it is time that the Phillies brought in some new blood.
Of course signing an international free agent (Tomas has not officially been granted free agency by MLB but should be soon once his residency in Haiti has been officially established) can be risky.
However, t is a risk that the Phillies should be taking if they want to get their club back into contention within the next couple of seasons.