Yasmany Tomas Signing a Bold 1st Move for D-Backs' La Russa-Stewart-Duncan Era

The Arizona Diamondbacks' new front-office regime has made its first significant roster move, and it is being welcomed with praise rather than the furrowed brows that were commonplace with the previous group.

The team signed Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million deal Wednesday, according to multiple sources, including MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. The contract makes Tomas the second-highest-paid Cuban player ever—just behind Boston's Rusney Castillo ($72.5 million)—and likely the Diamondbacks’ starting right fielder.

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Breaking: Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas & D-backs have agreed to a 6-year deal worth $68.5M, according to sources http://t.co/haBhc6LtHh

— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) November 26, 2014"

The Diamondbacks are remaking themselves this offseason, although the changes started off the field in May when Tony La Russa hopped on board as the team’s chief baseball officer. Since then La Russa has fired general manager Kevin Towers, manager Kirk Gibson and bench coach Alan Trammell.

He replaced Towers with Dave Stewart and Gibson with Chip Hale. La Russa also brought on his former pitching coach in St. Louis, Dave Duncan, as a special assistant and pitching consultant and former Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson as the team’s new vice president of baseball ops.

Koji Sasahara/Associated Press

While the moves didn’t come with the same flash as the Dodgers' front-office remake, they were seen as necessary and positive. The former front office pulled off baffling deals like trading away Justin Upton and Trevor Bauer as well as making odd signings like Cody Ross.

Now, the new group in Arizona has made its presence felt by swiping one of the most coveted free-agent bats on the market at a time when offense is as highly valued as ever. It is the kind of bold move that should be met by applause because it signals a change in direction, which is needed since the previous one put the team in last place in the National League West. 

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Diamondbacks "pushing" for Yasmany Tomas. The new front-office seems intent on making a statement this winter. http://t.co/AxBbhouUUU

— AZ SnakePit (@AZSnakepit) November 26, 2014"

Tomas, a corner outfielder, left Cuba last summer and immediately became a hot name. He is now 24 years old, and at 6'1" and about 230 pounds, his power is immense. Ben Badler of Baseball America rated his power at 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, and it is possible the Diamondbacks could start him at the major league level rather than seasoning him in the minors next year.

If that happens, Tomas could fit into the No. 4 or No. 5 spot in the batting order with Paul Goldschmidt in the three-hole and Mark Trumbo interchangeable with Tomas. Now that the Dodgers have lost Hanley Ramirez, that could give Arizona the division’s most potent, intimidating 3-4-5 trio.

And in Chase Field, a ballpark that surrenders home runs at the seventh-highest rate in the majors, Tomas could put on a dazzling show.

Tomas trained in the Dominican Republic before holding a showcase in front of scouts and executives from all 30 major league clubs in September. Later he held private workouts for the Atlanta Braves, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals in the ensuing weeks.

As November ticked away, the Giants, Padres, Braves and even the Phillies seemed to be leading the charge for Tomas. It was not until Tuesday that reports had the Diamondbacks as serious candidates, and that seriousness came from the team’s camp, not from Tomas’.

As recently as early Wednesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks still weren’t sure where they stood with Tomas and had not even made an offer, according to Stewart (via Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic). 

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GM Stewart said no offer has been made, but Tomas' camp would know what an AZ offer would look like. Dbacks favor longer deal with lower AAV

— Zach Buchanan (@azc_zachb) November 26, 2014"

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Stewart isn't sure how competitive the Dbacks are in this derby, though. Said he's unaware of what other offers are.

— Zach Buchanan (@azc_zachb) November 26, 2014"

Less than an hour after that report, the story broke that the Diamondbacks had a deal with Tomas.

The fact that the team was late to the bidding, at least publicly, shows how aggressive it became near the end. It had concerns about the deal's total money, as Stewart believed Tomas could be looking to surpass Castillo’s pact, per Buchanan, but the Diamondbacks sweetened their offer despite offering $4 million fewer.

They gave Tomas the option to opt out of the contract after four years. At that time he will be entering his age-28 season, and if his offensive prowess becomes what the Diamondbacks believe it will, he can become a free agent and dwarf this current deal. That luxury is likely what led Tomas to agree with Arizona, a franchise that had the worst record in baseball last season.

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Tomas’ signing comes with the intention of the Diamondbacks competing next season, or at least that’s what they will tell the fanbase. Still, it has much more of a long-term feel because the move does not address the team’s glaring holes, which are mainly in the starting rotation.

That group had the second-worst ERA in the National League last season. The team traded for Jeremy Hellickson earlier this month and is hoping he can slot in behind Wade Miley and Josh Collmenter. The rest of the rotation is murky, although prospects like Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley could break camp with the big league club.

While the Diamondbacks might not be able to afford a big-name free-agent arm, they can possibly get something helpful back for catcher Miguel Montero.

The move to sign Tomas was aggressive and cunning, and it shows that the Diamondbacks just might have the kind of leadership it takes to compete in a rich division. The rest of the offseason will determine if they can compete immediately, but this deal signals that the future is again bright in the desert.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous three seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News and four years before that as the Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.