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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen missed most of the 2024 season as he recovered from surgery to repair a torn UCL, but he's been effective when he's been healthy, and his team is about to reward him for it.
The righty is closing in on an extension with Tampa Bay that will take him through his remaining two years of arbitration and include an option for 2027.
Beverly Hills Sports Council, which represents Rasmussen, has already announced the deal, while the Rays have yet to publish a release.
Rasmussen will get a $500,000 signing bonus, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He also reported that the pitcher's 2025 salary will be $2 million and it will increase to $5.5 million in 2026 with an $8 million option for 2027. Escalators based on Rasmussen's health and innings pitched could bump his pay up to $20 million, while the last year of the contract has a $500,000 buyout.
Rasmussen pitched in 16 games for the Rays in 2024, primarily out of the bullpen. Over 28.2 innings pitched, he had a 2.83 ERA with 35 strikeouts and a 1.081 WHIP. He has not allowed a home run since April 30, 2023.
The Rays plan to use Drew Rasmussen as a starter
If all goes well, the contract the Rays and Rasmussen have agreed on could wind up being incredibly team-friendly. Tampa Bay plans to use Rasmussen as a starter going forward, according to Topkin, and if he stays effective, his value could increase astronomically.
Rasmsusen was a full-time starter for the Rays in 2022 before his injury. He started 28 games that season, throwing 146 innings and giving up 121 hits with a 2.84 ERA. Though he didn't strike out a ton of batters (7.7 per nine innings), he also had a 5.3% walk rate and 47% ground ball rate.
As he's persevered through injury, Rasmussen has earned the praise of his coaching staff.
“He's about as self-motivated a player as I've ever been around and easily as hard a worker as I've been around,” Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder told MLB.com in August. “I think to a lot of people in this clubhouse, it's not too much of a surprise, but still, it needs to be recognized how impressive it's been.”
Tampa Bay went 80-82 last year but was without Rasmussen for a long stretch and Shane McLanahan for the entire year. With McLanahan also set to return from Tommy John surgery, the Rays could be adding two front-end-caliber starters to a rotation that already has an intriguing mix of talent and potential.
