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How Actively Will The Padres Pursue Yasmani Tomas?

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In a deep free agent pool, the belle of the ball may be someone who has never played in Major League Baseball. That man is Cuban defector Yasmani Tomas, who is said to possess legendary power out of the corner outfield position. With the success of current Cuban stars like Yoenis Cespedes (Red Sox), Yasiel Puig (Dodgers) and Jose Abreu (White Sox), the entire baseball world is flocking to the Dominican Republic this weekend to see him work out live.

The Padres have been linked to Tomas as a possible suitor, but his price tag may be a problem. According to league sources, Tomas is set to garner a contract of around $100 million dollars, which sounds like a steep price for the Friars, especially when they have to compete with other big market clubs like the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Mets.

Recent reports are indicating that the Padres are expecting to significantly increase their payroll this off-season, and Tomas may be a part of that. Or the organization may decide that risking that much money on an unproven Tomas isn’t worth it, and they’ll let him go to another bidder. But Tomas (23), would be huge for this franchise if they decide to chase him and their new General Manager, A.J. Preller, has put a focus on international players, and a guy with a ceiling this high would be a fantastic start to the rebuilding process. He’s young, and extremely talented and his presence in PETCO Park could bring in new fans and draw a lot of attention to San Diego. The Tomas sweepstakes may rival last year’s Masahiro Tanaka bidding and is definitely something worth watching.