Report: Yasmany Tomas could be target for Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have been quite active in recent days, with the Jason Heyward trade at the center of several roster moves that included the jettisoning of Tommy La Stella, Ramiro Pena and Jonny Venters in separate moves. Now, the team has been linked to Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas, according to a report from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Here is a snippet from that report:

"The Braves could qualify as a surprise team, but they recently made room in the outfield by trading Jason Heyward. They also have been in trade talks involving outfielders Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, but new Braves president of baseball operations John Hart has long loved power hitters, as folks may recall from his Cleveland and Texas days.Tomas could wait until the Winter Meetings before he signs. It was reported here Thursday that Tomas has obtained a visa and could talk face-to-face woth teams at the league-wide event that begins Dec. 8 in San Diego."

Tomas is a 24-year-old outfielder who reportedly possesses significant power, and as you may expect, he has drawn comparisons to both Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, who are all of Cuban descent. It is important to note Heyman’s mention of John Hart’s love for power, and that would certainly help to explain the choice to send Jason Heyward away while holding on to Justin Upton. Still, Tomas does not have comparable numbers to those players at the plate while playing in Cuba, and that has to be mentioned when projecting his abilities moving forward.

It would be dishonest for me to attempt to provide a “real” scouting report on Tomas, but given that he is expected to garner a contract worth upward of $75 million, it is safe to say that he is seen as a legitimate power threat that could play right away. Stay tuned.