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The Tampa Bay Rays have signed free-agent outfielder Colby Rasmus, reports Jon Heyman.
rasmus has a deal with rays. good fit, AL sources say. @Ken_Rosenthal said close
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 9, 2017
Rasmus, 30, was the Houston Astros’ opening day starter in left field for the past two seasons.
The former St. Louis Cardinals first round pick in 2005 draft found a second life with the Astros in 2015 — rejoining the Cardinals’ vice president of scouting and player development Jeff Luhnow.
Rasmus hit .238 (103x432 in 137 games) with a career-high 25 home runs and had 61 RBIs. He made his mark with the team in the playoffs, hitting four home runs in six playoff games during the Astros’ 2015 AL wild-card championship run.
The Astros extending a qualifying offer to Rasmus the following offseason, with which Rasmus became the first major league player to accept said offer — making him the highest-paid player on the Astros roster at the time.
Rasmus struggled with injuries and a cyst in his right ear throughout the 2016 season. Last year quickly became a lost year for the multi-talented outfielder that batted .206 (76x369) with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 107 games.