Arguably the most valuable offensive player on the open market this off-season is now officially a costless agent. On Thursday, agent Jay Alou announced that his client, Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, is now a costless agent, and is available to sign with any MLB team.
Tomas, a 23-year-old outfielder from Cuba, worked out for all 30 MLB teams almost two weeks ago in the Dominican Republic. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds Tomas is a big, athletic player with good speed, but the most impressive skill he possess is his power. Tomas impressed scouts throughout Major League Baseball at his showcase as his incredible strength coupled with his quick hands generated some very impressive raw power.
For the past few years, players who have defected from Cuba for a chance at the big leagues have been getting nice paydays. Yasiel Puig got the ball rolling by signing a 7-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. Puig is one of the best young talents in the game, and while some are concerned about his character, nobody can deny the Dodgers got a steal in the young outfielder.
Last off-season, the Chicago White Sox signed another Cuban defector in first baseman Jose Abreu. The six-year, $68 million contract seemed a little steep for such an unproven talent, but it has paid off in a big way for the White Sox as Abreu hit .317 with a MLB leading .581 slugging percentage. At 27-years-old, Abreu has an incredibly bright future ahead of him and the White Sox are going to reap the benefits.
More recently, the Boston Red Sox signed another player from Cuba in 27-year-old outfielder Rusney Castillo to a seven-year $72.5 million deal. Castillo got a taste of the big leagues late in the 2014 season and hit .333/.400/.528. While it was only a 10 game sample, Castillo is clearly talented and could easily become a huge value for Boston.
Recent signings from Cuba have worked out well for MLB teams. Does this mean that every baseball player out of the country is going to have the pure talent of Puig or the raw power of Abreu? Of course not. But there is a ton of talent coming out of Cuba, and teams are going to continue to pay for it until somebody becomes a bust.
The recent success of Puig, Abreu and even Yoenis Cespedes before them is only helping Tomas in his search for a massive payday. With all 30 MLB teams sending scouts to his showcase, Tomas is clearly generating a ton of interest, and for good reason. Sure, he is a very raw talent, but 23-year-old players rarely hit the open market. Not to mention a guy who has seemingly unlimited upside. A chance to acquire such a young player who could have a massive long term impact on the franchise is incredibly rare.
It is impossible to say how much money Tomas will get on the open market, but at $100 million certainly seem possible, if not likely. It is also very difficult to pin point specific teams who will be in at the escalated price. The San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs have all been rumored to be very interested in Tomas, with many others undoubtedly counting their pennies to see if they have a chance as well.
It is probably safe to say that each and every MLB team would love to get their hands on Tomas. Who will be willing to put up the money to actually land him? Only time will tell.