Giants, Padres Join Phillies in Pursuit of Tomas

It is no secret that the Phillies have their eyes on Cuban slugger, Yasmany Tomas. They have seen him work out three times, but so have two other teams. The San Diego Padres and the World Series Champion Giants have also scouted Tomas extensively according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Yasmany Tomas, the Cuban slugger and one of the few power hitters on the market, keeps drawing crowds for workouts in the Dominican, and word is the Phillies,Giants and Padres have come to view his exploits most often.

All three of those teams have seen Tomas at least three times — though several other teams have seen him at least multiple times, as well.

In Heyman's story, it is mentioned that Tomas would like to beat the six-year $72.5 million deal that Rusney Castillo signed with the Red Sox. Heyman later mentiones that Tomas has already been offered an eight-year contract, but turned it down because they are looking for a deal with a shorter term, perhaps five to seven years. We learned Ruben Amaro has sat down with Tomas' agent, but whether the offer came from the Phillies or not is unknown.

The Rangers, Mariners and Dodgers have also showed interest in the 24-year old Cuban phenom, who regularly hits balls well over 400 feet at his home stadium in the Dominican.

The Rangers and Mariners also have scouted Tomas, though Seattle seems less inclined to outbid the others here. The Red Sox also saw Tomas, as he borrowed their Dominican facility for a workout one time, though it isn't known how involved they are.

Tomas, said to have amazing power, has a chance to be a home run for some team, as he's only 24 years old. Witnesses say he hit regularly hits balls over the center field scoreboard that rises several stories about the 411-foot sign at his recent home park in the Dominican, Estadio Quizqueya.

With no Major League experience, any signing of this magnitude comes with risk. In the case of Tomas, it seems the rewards outweigh the risks.

Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com