Colby Rasmus: A Depth Addition for Oakland?
By Jason Burke
Most fans a wary of the outfield situation in Oakland at present, and are hoping the Oakland Athletics make a move to address that concern. Colby Rasmus, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays (too soon to say that team’s name?) is a 28-year old center fielder that is on the free agent market. In a typical season, Rasmus provides 21 home runs and has the ability to provide solid defense. So why is he still on the market? Injuries.
What has kept Colby Rasmus off the field in his six year career? Everything. In 2014 alone, he dealt with thigh soreness, and later a thigh strain, which cost him 33 games. The other injuries that have cost Rasmus some time are an abdomen strain, a wrist sprain, a contusion due to an errant throw, and knee and groin problems when he was in the minors. Taking a risk on a player that is so injury prone may not seem like a wise idea, but after the A’s acquired Brett Lawrie from Rasmus’ former team, who knows any more?
In his one healthy season in 2012, Rasmus played in 151 games and hit 23 bombs while driving in 75, but hit just .223. The potential is there; he may just need to stay healthy to realize it. Being that Rasmus is only 28, and in his prime years, he could definitely be on Oakland’s radar, if the price is low. Just for the sake of comparison, that season from Rasmus is not a huge drop-off from the first two seasons Yoenis Cespedes put up with the A’s. In 2012, Cespedes hit 23 homers and drove in 82 while batting .292. In 2013, Cespy hit .240 with 26 homers and 80 rbi. If we need to “replace Cespedes” this is one option.
Currently, the Orioles seem to be looking into Rasmus, but a deal is not imminent according to Edwardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles also have an interest in Andre Ethier and Nori Aoki, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.
The idea for any team that signs Rasmus would be to grab him on a one-year deal, possibly with incentives, and have him build his value for next offseason. If the A’s were to come in with a two-year offer, that could help them land some outfield depth in Rasmus, but the deal would be a risky move to say the least. Over two years, depending on the market, $15M would likely be the low end of what Rasmus could expect to receive.
With current left field options including Sam Fuld, Craig Gentry and Mark Canha, another option would be nice for Oakland, especially with Gentry, Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick missing time in recent seasons. Will a deal between Oakland and Colby Rasmus come to fruition? Probably not, but he is definitely a player that I would at least look into.