Braves, Padres become frontrunners for Yasmani Tomas

24-year-old Cuban outfield prospect Yasmani Tomas, who at one point was rumored to be close to a deal with an MLB team, will actually be holding off on a decision until at least the MLB Winter Meetings in December. The Phillies' pursuit of the slugger, once very serious, is supposed to have "cooled," according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com, after not being impressed by his defense in a private workout (Though there have not been any universal dismissals of Tomas' defense, ESPN's Keith Law did refer to him as a 'below average' defender this past June).

Yet an hour and a half later,

Regardless of the Phillies level of interest, which many experts have downgraded in the last 24 hours, other teams have stepped to the head of the line.

This includes the Padres, who have been rumored to want to make a splashy move as well and who have the unique position of home field advantage for the Winter Meetings. It also includes the Phillies' division rival Braves, who had not been mentioned prominently in the Tomas sweepstakes until very recently. Atlanta would likely have to make some roster adjustments and clear space in order to pick up the outfielder. Reps from both San Diego and Atlanta are headed to the Dominican Republic this weekend to see the prospect, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.

A clearer picture of Tomas' demands as far as contracts go has also surfaced, and teams are looking at a projecetd $15 million a year for five to seven years for Tomas - however, there remains the possibility that he could want something shorter in order to hit the free agent market in a hurry.