Keith Law, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Tomas definitely an upgrade for D-backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks' signing of Yasmany Tomas to a reported six-year, $68 million deal was a surprise only in terms of dollar amount, as earlier reports had him asking for $80-plus million -- who could blame him? -- which seemed like it might push clubs that aren't in the top tier in revenue out of the picture. They get a guy who's probably an every-day player for reasonable money and someone who addresses one of the biggest weaknesses that sank their 2014 club.

The Diamondbacks' outfield, on paper, was looking like one of the worst units in the game, with a no-defense/no-OBP right fielder in Mark Trumbo, a similar player with less power in left field in David Peralta and a great defender but mediocre bat in center in A.J. Pollock (he was tremendous in half a season in 2014, but it was based off a fluky batting average on balls in play). That's not a contending trio unless you're running a few All-Stars out there on the dirt, so assuming Tomas is at least an average regular, this is a clear upgrade in one of the corner outfield sports for Arizona, and it frees them up to do some things with their crop of extra outfielder/bench types. At just more than $11 million per year, Tomas is being paid a little below everyday-player money, which I'd consider a reflection of the risk associated with any player coming from a non-major foreign league to MLB rather than any real doubt about his ability to play every day.

When I saw Tomas in the summer of 2013, he was overweight and looked like a designated hitter, but when in playing shape, he's capable of handling either outfield corner (more likely left field than right, but Arizona doesn't have an entrenched option at either position anyway).

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