Rays Add Rasmus to Crowded Outfield

Last year, coming off a season where he batted .238 with 25 home runs for the Astros, Colby Rasmus gambled and accepted Houston's $15.8 million qualifying offer in the hopes that he could improve his stock for the next offseason. Unfortunately, he hit 15 home runs while batting just .206 over 107 games, missing much of August after ear surgery. The Rays outfield now looks fairly crowded, especially after the acquisition of Mallex Smith (see below), with Corey Dickerson, Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza, and Mikie Mahtook vying for playing time in addition to Rasmus and Smith. Still, Rasmus is just 30 years old, and he does a little bit of everything well. He's got some power, doesn't clog the bases, and plays above average defense. The 2015 postseason hero (where he batted .412 with four home runs in six games) will look to re-establish his stock in the competitive Tampa outfield. For his career, the Alabama native has 156 home runs, 175 doubles, a .241 average, and 34 stolen bases over 1037 games.