Yasmany Tomas to Diamondbacks: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Cuba's latest potential star import is headed to Arizona. Yasmany Tomas and the Diamondbacks reportedly agreed to a six-year, $68.5 million contract Wednesday, culminating one of the most noteworthy bidding processes of the MLB offseason.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com broke the news: 

The Diamondbacks eventually confirmed the deal on December 8:

Tony La Russa and Chip Hale discussed the signing via the D-Backs and MLB Twitter accounts: 

Tomas, a member of Cuba's World Baseball Classic team in 2013, defected to the United States in June. Coming off the high-profile defections and sterling debuts of Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, teams flocked to scout Tomas and tried hard to score private workouts.

Puig and Abreu each made their respective All-Star teams and have emerged as two of the best young players in baseball despite neither having two full years of MLB service under his belt. Abreu, who had 36 home runs and 107 RBI with the Chicago White Sox in 2014, was the American League's unanimous Rookie of the Year.

Jay Alou, Tomas' agent, has unsurprisingly tried to talk his client up—to the point of saying he's more powerful than Abreu.

Koji Watanabe/Getty Images

"He's got more power than Abreu. He’s got a lot more power," Alou told Rob Bradford of WEEI. "Abreu’s a little older, more mature with his bat. Sometimes it takes guys longer to figure things out. And the last couple of weeks, a lot of things have clicked for Yasmany. I can tell you he's got a lot more power than anyone I’ve ever seen. A lot.”

Finding legitimate scouting reports on Tomas is difficult, in large part because MLB scouts are not allowed to watch Cuban leagues. The likes of Puig, Abreu and Rusney Castillo built their reputations thanks to word-of-mouth and sources within Cuban baseball. It makes showcases like the World Baseball Classic so important because it offers the next generation a chance to flash their skills on a large stage.

Tomas went 6-for-16 with two home runs in his brief WBC appearance. Baseball America's Ben Badler cited sources praising Tomas' power at the plate but noting his career had stagnated a bit in Cuba:

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This past season in Cuba, which ended with Industriales losing in the semifinals in April, Tomas seemed to regress, even losing playing time in the second half, which one source said was the result of an arm injury he sustained crashing into an outfield wall in February. He finished the season at .290/.346/.450 with six home runs, 21 walks and 46 strikeouts in 257 plate appearances.

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The Diamondbacks will hope Tomas' struggles in 2014 were a product of his arm injury and impending defection. The success of recent Cuban imports has made for a massive spike in contract demands, with Puig's $42 million deal now looking like one of the best contracts in baseball.

If Tomas' power doesn't translate or he struggles picking up the intricacies of the MLB game, he'll be seen as a disappointment. Eventually, one of these high-profile players likely won't pan out. Arizona is banking that it didn't roll the dice on the wrong player.

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