Well this should pretty much infuriate you.

Jay Alou, the agent for Yasmany Tomas, the Cuban slugger who the Phillies didn’t sign because they can’t do anything right, told the Inquirer’s Matt Gelb that Ruben Amaro never offered his client a contract because Ruben Amaro is a big dumb idiot had to clear salary first:

Industry pundits labeled the Phillies as a favorite for the 24-year-old outfielder’s services. But Tomas agreed last week to a deal with Arizona for $68.5 million without ever receiving an offer from the Phillies, his agent said.

Jay Alou said Monday the Phillies showed constant interest but never submitted a formal contract offer. Alou believed Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. had to “clear salary” before making a substantial commitment to Tomas.

“His hands were tied,” Alou said.

He tied them himself, actually.

As you know, Tomas signed with the Diamondbacks for six years and $68 million with an escape hatch after four years– an incredibly reasonable contract when you consider that he was projected to get upwards of $100 million. I wrote all my reasons why signing Tomas would’ve made sense here. But the fact that he was never made an offer, even a low one, should have you shaking your damn head.

Gelb pointed out that the Phillies have $130 million in salary committed next season, with much work left to be done. But still, Tomas, at an average value of a little over $10 million per year, wouldn’t have hampered them that much, especially if the Phillies can unload one of their massive contracts (not holding my breath).

There is, of course, the possibility that Amaro has something else up his sleeve, as there have been rumors that the Phillies and Red Sox could work out a major trade involving some of the Red Sox’s’s’s’ younger players and Cole Hamels… but I will literally eat my hat if he pulls that off.

Whatever the case, the fact remains that the Phillies, in their effort to rebuild, didn’t even make an offer to a 24-year-old, affordable Cuban slugger, who, it sounds like, would’ve signed here. Ahhhhh!