The Houston Astros and Colby Rasmus will have a reunion in 2016 after the outfielder becomes the first player in MLB history to accept the qualifying offer.
After a huge postseason, many expected Colby Rasmus to cash in on a big free agent deal this winter. Instead, it appears as though the outfielder will be returning to the Houston Astros for the 2016 season.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was the first to mention the likelihood of Rasmus accepting the qualifying offer, but it wasn’t official until the Astros confirmed it early on Friday morning.
Sources: Free-agent outfielder Colby Rasmus will accept qualifying offer and return to the Astros for one year, $15.8 million. Story coming.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 12, 2015
In accepting the qualifying offer, Colby Rasmus becomes the first player to ever do so since the offer was established for the 2012 season. Prior to this season, all 34 players who have received a qualifying offer have declined it, instead choosing to test their value on the open free agent market.
That has worked out for some, as most players extended a qualifying offer are at the upper echelon of free agents. However, there have been some in the past who have watched their free agency hindered by the weight of losing a draft pick in addition to a multi-year deal. Players like Kendry Morales and Stephen Drew were forced to sit out until after the June draft before signing, while Kyle Lohse and others have signed late and below market due to the draft pick compensation.
Rasmus, who hit .238/.314/.475 with 25 home runs in 2015, wasn’t about to take his chances on a crowded outfield market. Instead, he accepted the $15.8 million contract for one season, a steep raise from the $8 million deal Rasmus signed last season with Houston.
It was a wise choice for the 29-year-old Rasmus, who would have been set to compete with an outfield market that includes Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Alex Gordon, and Justin Upton, along with cheaper options like Denard Span, Austin Jackson, and Gerardo Parra who won’t have the qualifying offer attached to them.
While Rasmus is the first to accept the deal, he is hardly expected to be the last. An MLB record 20 players were extended qualifying offers in 2015 and it wouldn’t be out of the question for second-tier free agents like Hisashi Iwakuma, Howie Kendrick, Matt Wieters, and Ian Kennedy to follow Rasmus’ example and accept the offer.