Phils' search for power moves on without Tomas

The Phillies will have to look elsewhere for a power bat in the outfield now that Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas has agreed to a deal with the D-backs.

Arizona won the bidding for Tomas on Wednesday, agreeing to a six-year contract worth $68.5 million, sources told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The deal includes an opt-out clause after four years and is pending a physical, the sources said. The D-backs have not confirmed the agreement.

The Phillies were thought to be a perfect fit for Tomas, as the club needs to get younger and add power to its lineup, particularly in the outfield. Tomas had a private workout with the club, and management believed the 24-year-old would hit, but had some concerns regarding his conditioning and defense, as well as his asking price. However, Tomas' deal was for significantly less than was expected. Many around the game believed he would command a contract in the $90 million range.

The Phillies do not have a player in their farm system close to fitting Tomas' description (i.e., young power hitter close to big league-ready).

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. sounded frustrated when asked at the General Managers Meetings earlier this month about signing a Cuban free agent like Tomas.

"Just because one guy did well signed from one country doesn't necessarily mean the next guy is going to do well," he said, a reference to the success of Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu. "It doesn't mean the guys before or after that are going to do well. It's all individual. We'll try to scout the players and try to project them in a way that you feel necessary and go from there. It's like saying, 'This Dominican player played real well one time so we've got to sign Dominican players.' It's ridiculous."

The Phillies have seven outfielders on the 40-man roster: Aaron Altherr, Domonic Brown, Marlon Byrd, Kelly Dugan, Ben Revere, Darin Ruf and Grady Sizemore.