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Texas Rangers rumors: Yasmany Tomas, the 23 year old Cuban outfielder who recently defected from Cuba, has been declared a free agent by MLB, and is now free to sign with any team.
Ben Badler has a thorough write-up on Tomas, with video, scouting reports, and some comps. Tomas is a power hitter who can handle the corner outfield spots, but whose hit tool is a question mark. Badler calls him arguably the riskiest of the high-profile Cuban players to hit the market, and he's expected to command a seven year deal worth more than $100 million.
The Rangers had a private workout with Tomas a couple of weeks ago, and given that they are looking for a power-hitting COF or DH this offseason, they would seem to be a natural fit. Of course, the Rangers also reportedly have only about $20 million available to spend on outside players this offseason, so unless they structured a Tomas deal such that it was backloaded, signing Tomas would limit their ability to add a starting pitcher, which is the primary area of need right now.
