Yankees To Pass On Tomas, But Why?

Earlier this week, George A King III reported that the New York Yankees were not likely to pursue Cuban slugger Yasmani Tomas.

The free agent outfielder is supposedly seeking a deal that is worth around $100 million over seven years. This may seem outrageous, but Tomas is 23-years-old and has tons of power. These are both traits that the Yankees outfield lacks.

Carlos Beltran will likely be the starting right fielder. He will be  38 in April and recently underwent elbow surgery to remove loose pieces. He is also coming off his worst season in over 15 years. Beltran is far from a guarantee to produce.

Jacoby Ellsbury, 31, was solid for the Yankees in 2014, hitting .270/.328/.419 with 16 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases. The only problem is that he also has a history of being injury prone, which could effect him even more down the road.

Brett Gardner, also 31, posted career highs in home runs, RBIs, and total bases. He is the only one of the three without a large history of injuries.

Also, it’s not like the Yankees have a surplus of minor league outfield talent in the minors. The best they have is Aaron Judge, who is likely a few years away from being Major League ready. The next best prospect in their system is Tyler Austin, who had a great second half of 2014, but he may not make it to the big leagues for a while either.

These are good enough reasons for the Yankees to chase the younger, more big league ready Yasmani Tomas. The fact that they won’t is a bad sign. Brian Cashman can’t be content with having that brittle an outfield and he must know that it doesn’t stand a great chance of lasting all year.

Its reported that the Yankees view Tomas in the same light as Rusney Castillo, who they passed on. He went on to sign a 7 year, $72 million contract with the Red Sox.

This could be another huge mistake by the Yankees’ general manager.