MLB San Diego Padres

Signing Yasmani Tomas Should Be San Diego Padres’ Top Offseason Priority

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Yasmani Tomas

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For the first time in a while, the San Diego Padres are expected to make a splash in free agency this winter. While they’ve been linked to Pablo Sandoval, that seems more like a long shot. However, there are particular players they can very realistically sign that could make them contenders in 2015.

The biggest splash they could make, and it seems like they very well could, is signing Cuban slugger Yasmani Tomas. Even though Tomas will be courted by several other teams, most of those teams also are devoting money to other free agents this winter. That’s not the case for the Padres.

They don’t have a high salary to begin with, but they haven’t devoted much this offseason, so they can go all in for Tomas, which may be what they decide to do. With a big bopper in the middle of their lineup, the Padres may not be in the basement of the National League offensively anymore. With very solid pitching, including Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, the Padres are ready to compete from that perspective.

By adding Tomas, they could compete on every level. That means possibly hanging with division rivals down the stretch or making a run at a Wild Card spot. An outfielder, Tomas is noted for his combination of skills, namely his extremely raw power.

Since recent Cuban sluggers such as Yoenis Cespedes and Jose Abreu have had such success in the major leagues, Tomas figures to get a pretty sizable contract. For the Padres, reaching deep into their pockets to scrape up the money to make that offer is worth it. It’s not every day you get the ability to sign a difference making slugger to hit in the middle of your lineup.

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