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Rays might end up trading 2.95 ERA All-Star pitcher amid $20M problem
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- Rays might end up trading 2.95 ERA All-Star pitcher amid $20M problem
Rays might end up trading 2.95 ERA All-Star pitcher amid $20M problem originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Tampa Bay Rays are sitting atop the American League East as September begins, and it's thanks to a lot of different players performing very well this year.
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One of the main contributors has been starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen. He has a 2.95 ERA this season and is an All-Star who's finally getting some national respect. But Rasmussen's dominance might be a problem for the Rays.
As Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted, the Rays might end up trading away Rasmussen due to not feeling comfortable with his 2027 club option, which could reach as high as $20 million by the end of the 2026 regular season.
Drew Rasmussen's $20M 2027 contract could lead to Rays trade
"The two-year, $8.5 million deal Rasmussen signed to avoid arbitration last year included an $8 million option for 2027, but escalators for games started and days on the injured list have already boosted that option to $18.5 million," Feinsand writes.
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$18.5 million is already more than the Rays have ever paid a player for one year, as Charlie Morton's $15 million deal in 2019 and 2020 was the previous high watermark.
But if the Rays want to keep Rasmussen, they're going to have to go well beyond that $15M mark. If he doesn't hit the injured list and makes his normally scheduled starts to close out the year, that number will reach $20 million.
With such a massive one-year contract, by the Rays' standards at least, in play, Feinsand noted that "it's possible that Tampa Bay could exercise the option and look to trade Rasmussen if the price tag is outside of the club's comfort zone."
MORE: Cubs trade deadline addition Clay Holmes likely to opt out of $12M 2027 player option
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If the Rays did trade Rasmussen, it would be a huge loss for the franchise. Eventually, the Rays are going to need to spend more money than they are right now.
If there was ever a player to do it with, it would be Rasmussen. He has a 2.95 ERA this season, is only 31 years old, and has not had an ERA in the 3.00s since he became a starter with Tampa Bay back in 2021.
Sure, there's some risk involved with spending so much on one player for a team with a limited budget. But Rasmussen is good enough that it's worth exercising this option and keeping him as opposed to trading him.
There should not be a single scenario where they don't pick up this 2027 option, as the worst-case outcome should be that they pick it up and trade him away. But ideally, the Rays keep Rasmussen, as he's been one of MLB's best pitchers the last five years.
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