Drew Rasmussen is going to be the most sought-after arm on the trade market this offseason. The Tampa Bay Rays have a habit of moving pitchers before their value peaks and Rasmussen fits that pattern.
Rasmussen is in the second year of a two-year deal that bought out his remaining arbitration years and gives the Rays a 2027 club option. That kind of contract structure means whoever trades for him gets multiple years of team control on a proven starter.
The Rays are always trading pitching. Blake Snell, Chris Archer, Charlie Morton, Tyler Glasnow, they have all been sent out for prospects when the price was right. Rasmussen is next.
Every contender is going to be on the phone for him. The Dodgers, Braves, and Yankees all have deep farm systems and desperate needs for reliable rotation pieces. Rasmussen can slot into any playoff rotation without breaking a sweat.
The bidding is going to be intense. Rasmussen has been quietly one of the most efficient starters in baseball when healthy, and his contract makes him the type of asset front offices dream about acquiring.
For the Rays, this is business as usual. They cannot compete financially with the big-market teams, so they turn their pitching into future assets and reload every couple of years. It has worked for decades.
The concern for any acquiring team is Rasmussen’s health history. He has had multiple surgeries and durability questions follow him. That will slightly depress his value but not enough to keep the bidding from getting silly.
The Dodgers seem like the most obvious landing spot. LA is always in the market for controllable starters, and their farm system has the depth to overpay for a guy like this.
Tampa Bay’s next move is going to shape half the offseason. The team that lands Rasmussen instantly becomes a stronger World Series contender.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
