Scouting Reports, Potential Suitors for MLB's Top International Free Agents

With the 2014 Major League Baseball season coming to an end, all 30 teams will soon direct their focus toward the free-agent market.

Even though this year’s class features top-tier pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields, as well as a few middle-of-the-order hitters such as Hanley Ramirez, Victor Martinez and Pablo Sandoval, organizations may be more interested in what the international market has to offer.

As of now, Yasmani Tomas is expected to be the most coveted player. Teams have flocked to see the Cuban outfielder in various showcase events over the last two months. However, he is only one of numerous international players who are capable of making an impact in the major leagues as early as the 2015 season.

Here’s an early look at a few of this year’s top international free agents along with their potential suitors, as well as one player who could soon hit the market.

Free Agent: Yasmani Tomas, OF

Back in late June, we learned that outfielder Yasmani Tomas had defected from Cuba with the hope of signing with a major league team but that it would be several months until he was cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and granted free agency by Major League Baseball.

Tomas was eventually cleared to sign on Sept. 10 by OFAC, and less than a month later (Oct. 2), the soon-to-be 24-year-old was officially declared a free agent by MLB, per a tweet from his agent, Jay Alou (h/t MLB Trade Rumors).

After playing parts of five seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Tomas is exempt from the type of spending limitations associated with July 2 international free agents and therefore falls into the same category as fellow defectors Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu and Rusney Castillo.

Basically, Tomas is set up for a big payday.

Background

Tomas debuted as an 18-year-old in Cuba’s Serie Nacional during the 2008-09 season, and, for the most part, the teenager held his own with a .297/.350/.385 batting line and five extra-base hits in 91 at-bats. He appeared in 35 games for the Industriales, seeing time at both corner outfielder positions as well as first and third base.

However, Tomas didn’t emerge as one of Cuba’s more prolific hitters until the 2011-12 season, when the then-21-year-old batted .298/.340/.581 with 20 home runs, 15 doubles, 50 RBI and a 57-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 272 at-bats (83 games).

Tomas added to his resume the following year with another strong offensive season, batting .289/.364/.538 with 15 homers, 18 doubles, 60 RBI and a 52-34 K/BB ratio in 277 at-bats. It was also the first time in Tomas’ Serie Nacional career that he played center field almost exclusively.

In his final year (2013-14) with the Industriales, Tomas’s playing time and production both were limited due to a wrist injury, but he still managed to turn in a solid offensive campaign, with a .291/.348/.452 batting line, 23 extra-base hits (six home runs) and 35 RBI in 230 at-bats.

Scouting Tomas

The first thing you’ll hear about Tomas is that he possesses enormous raw power—legitimate 70-grade thump according to Badler:

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A righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, and with Jose Abreu already gone, the only player still in Cuba with more raw power than him was Alfredo Despaigne.

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Meanwhile, ESPN’s Keith Law (subscription required) praised Tomas' swing mechanics and approach, stating that he’s “very short to the ball—maybe even more so than [Jose] Abreu—with good hip rotation and a quiet approach.”

Scouting Baseball’s Kiley McDaniel (subscription required) also noted Tomas’s sound right-handed swing when discussing his power:

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Tomas' power is mostly to his pull side and he'll swing out of his shoes at times, showing some attributes of a 4A slugger. That said, Tomas has a cleaner, quieter swing with more power than those types of hitters, though his bat speed is average at best.

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Though Tomas saw time in center field during his tenure with the Industriales, the consensus is that he’s better suited for a career in right or left field in the major leagues.

According to Law: “Tomas is a stout center fielder who'll have to move to a corner outfield spot, as he's a below-average runner with a stiff body who could probably stand to shed some weight before he signs.”

McDaniel holds a similar belief in Tomas as a corner outfielder, noting that “his frame is a little thick” for center field while his grade-55 arm strength gives him a chance to “play a solid right field.”

Overall, Law contends that a reasonable projection for Tomas would be an “average to slightly above-average regular in left field, with 25 to 30 homers, a low OBP and below-average defense.”

But the biggest concern with Tomas is his hit tool, which McDaniel believes might limit his power frequency in the major leagues: “Scouts think that inclination and bat speed will lead to a 45 or 50 bat (.250-.260 average, .320-.330 on-base) and the question is if that will be enough to get his 25 homer power in games, or he ends up being a platoon bat.”

Potential Market, Suitors

According to Baseball America’s Ben Badler, “hundreds of scouts” attended Tomas’ September open showcase in the Dominican Republic, and the outfielder has since participated in private showcases for the Phillies and Rangers.

Badler also noted that the Rangers, Yankees, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Giants and Mets were heavily represented at the original open showcase, but that most teams at least had a representative in attendance.

McDaniel argues that Tomas' potential contract will have more to do with the market than his success in Serie Nacional:

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I point all that out to say that Tomas' raw talent or closest comparable won't be the most important factor to determining his payday; the amount of teams seriously bidding will. For all we know, Tomas is the last notable Cuban bat to hit the market for the next 5 years and for clubs that don't want to overpay for a 30-year-old domestic free agent, this is their chance to make a splash that doesn't also cost a high draft pick.

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In the wake of Boston signing 27-year-old Rusney Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million contract, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe posited that Tomas could receive a deal north of $100 million based on a conversation he had with an international scout.

Meanwhile, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors also believes Tomas will sign a monster contract, even going so far as to predict the outfielder will receive $105 million over seven years, with an $80 million floor and $110 million ceiling.

Free Agent: Jorge Despaigne, RHP

It appears as though Jorge Despaigne will be the next Cuban pitcher to sign with a big league club, as the right-hander was officially declared a free agent by MLB back in mid-September, per Ben Badler of Baseball America.

Background

Despaigne, 23, spent the last three season playing for Isla de la Juventud in Cuba’s Serie Nacional but didn’t receive the same level of exposure as other highly touted prospects from the island because he didn’t play for the Cuban national team.

Despaigne posted a 4.33 ERA over 20 appearances (11 starts) in his final season in Serie Nacional, but he also walked 56 batters against 54 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. This was a common theme during his three years in the league, as the right-hander issued 114 walks in 151.1 innings compared to 105 punchouts.

Scouting Despaigne

Though reports on Despaigne are few and far between, they do offer insight about his control problems. Badler stated that the 6’3”, 225-pound right-hander was “more notable for his arm strength than his polish” prior to defecting, and that he features a “plus fastball he can run into the mid-90s.”

In regards to the control problems, Badler's sources tell him that Despaigne “struggles to keep his mechanics in check and in turn has trouble throwing strikes.”

However, as the cousin of Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, the fact that Jorge has a favorable bloodline to back his big league arm strength might ease some of the present concerns about his strike-throwing ability.

Potential Market, Suitors

Here’s the kicker: Despaigne will not be exempt from international spending restrictions because he’s 23 and played only three seasons in Cuba, which in turns makes him less desirable to clubs that have already used their bonus pools. Given his age, Despaigne would had to have played at least five seasons internationally in order to sign a free-agent contract similar to Puig, Abreu or even Raisel Iglesias.

However, it might not be long until we have a better idea about the potential market for Despaigne. Badler reported that the right-hander was scheduled to participate in a showcase on September 23 at the Dodgers’ complex in the Dominican Republic, but, unfortunately, there hasn’t been any follow-up information regarding his performance or the teams that attended the event.

Coming Soon: Jose Fernandez, 2B

Second baseman Jose Fernandez (no relation to the Marlins’ ace) has long been viewed as one of Cuba’s top players, but as of now, he and cousin/catcher Lazaro Herrera are nowhere to be found.

From Ben Badler of Baseball America:

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Fernandez and catcher Lazaro Herrera, who are cousins and teammates on the Matanzas Crocodiles in Serie Nacional, have not played since Oct. 10. Matanzas manager Victor Mesa, who also manages the Cuban national team, had previously said he didn’t know why they were missing.

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Badler’s report also notes that the president of Cuba’s baseball federation, Higinio Velez, has released both players from the Crocodiles, though he isn’t sure whether they’re still on the island.

If the 26-year-old Fernandez does defect, he’ll likely become one of the top free-agent position players on the market (once he’s cleared by both OPAC and MLB), and he'll hvae the potential to command a large contract due to his exemption from international spending restrictions.

The following is from Badler’s scouting report on Fernandez, who he ranked as Cuba’s third-best prospect (subscription required):

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Fernandez’s best skills are his outstanding plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. Fernandez is a patient hitter who rarely chases, works deep counts and lays off borderline pitches. He has a short, flat swing with few holes, good hand-eye coordination and bat control, which is why he’s a high-contact hitter against lefties and righties with a high OBP.

[…]

Fernandez’s groundball tendencies don’t match his speed, which is below-average at best. He has below-average power, with possibly 8-12 home runs per year against major league pitching.

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As for Fernandez’s defense, Badler said that he “doesn’t have the agility or ideal footwork for the middle of the infield, but he’s good enough to hang in there as an offensive-oriented second baseman.”

In his last full season in Serie Nacional (2013-14), the left-handed hitting Fernandez posted a .326/.482/.456 batting line with 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances.

All stats from Cuba's Serie Nacional are courtesy of ESPN's Cuban-Play.com unless otherwise noted.