There has been a growing list of Cuban defectors that have become MLB stars in recent years, with some of the most notable cases being Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu. Next on that list appears to be slugger Yasmany Tomas, but are the Baltimore Orioles really players in the Tomas sweepstakes?
The annual GM Meetings are taking place this week in Phoeniz, AZ, and with those meetings come a ton of speculation and rumors. Baltimore has been one of several teams to reportedly be interested in Tomas.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted yesterday:
"Nelson Cruz is in Phoenix. He and his agents met with #Orioles today. Presumably meeting with other clubs too. O's also interested in Tomas," Rosenthal tweeted via his handle @Ken_Rosenthal
The news Orioles fans were most likely interested in regarding Rosenthal's tweet was that of Cruz and the Orioles meeting, but the Tomas news was still interesting.
Why so interesting?
To us, it was interesting because of the possible contract that is being reported for Tomas' services. The numbers and terms of the possible contract Tomas and his agent are looking for have been from $93-$105 million, and the terms have been rumored to be anywhere from five to eight years.
It is hard to fathom that the Orioles would really be willing to shell out that kind of money for a player that has never played in the Major Leagues. Yes, we realize that Tomas is the latest of a line of Cuban defectors that are considered MLB ready, but we are still talking about the Orioles here.
Tomas' age is a big draw, however. He will turn 24 this week and you would be essentially be signing him in his "baseball prime." Tomas is said to have great speed and a lot of power. His agent, Jay Alou, stated yesterday that Tomas has "way more" power than Abreu does.
That's quite a big statement to make when you are talking about a guy (Abreu) who just posted a .300+, 30+ HR, 100+ RBI season in his first year in the big leagues.
If Tomas and his agent really are looking for a nine-figure deal, they are likely to be disappointed, especially if you consider that Abreu signed a six-year, $68 million deal with the White Sox last October.
There are two things to keep in mind here. First, Rosenthal stated the Orioles are interested, which does not say a lot. Who would not be "interested" in a player so highly regarded and is only 24? Secondly, if the reported numbers surrounding the contract Tomas is looking for are legitimate, have you ever seen the Orioles shell out that kind of deal?
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