The bizarre offseason of the Atlanta Braves is taking another twist – Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that the Braves are a “dark horse” contender for Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, joining well-known aggressive pursuits from the Phillies, Padres, and Giants.
Heyman’s report also claims that the Braves are the “mystery team” that has been recently linked to Tomas, and that they’ll be watching a showcase in the next few days. Tomas isn’t expected to sign until after the Winter Meetings.
The Braves have already made the biggest trade of any team so far this winter, dealing outfielder Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden to the Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. Rumors continue to grow that the Braves are looking to trade catcher/DH/attempted outfielder Evan Gattis and outfielder Justin Upton, and the team would also surely likely to unload the contracts of B.J. Upton and Chris Johnson. The club was also scheduled to meet free agent starting pitcher Jon Lester on Thursday, though many have claimed their interest in Lester isn’t serious, and that they’re just posturing with the meeting.
But this is the first link we’ve seen between Atlanta and the 24-year old Tomas, and signing him after dealing Heyward sure would make a lot of sense. It would also likely signify that either Gattis or the younger Upton brother will be playing somewhere else in 2015.
Hold on to your hats, people – this offseason is just getting started.
