Oakland Athletics Should Make a Push For Colby Rasmus
By Jason Burke
The Oakland Athletics are in desperate need of a centerfielder. Colby Rasmus is an outfielder that is more than capable of manning the position coming off of a down year. The two sides should come together.
As of right now, the depth chart for the Oakland Athletics as listed on MLB.com has Brett Eibner and Jake Smolinski manning center for the club. Neither is exciting as a main option, both were below average defensively at the position, and neither should be relied upon for much offense.
Colby Rasmus is a very intriguing option for the A’s to consider. In left field he has proven to be a stellar defensive outfielder, and in center he has shown that he can play at a little above average. The real upside with Rasmus would be in his bat, which took the 2016 season off. After holding a 117 wRC+ and smashing 25 homers in 137 games in 2015, he managed just a 75 wRC+ (better than Eibner, just behind Smolinski) and sent 15 into the seats over 107 games.
Obviously the deal comes with some risk, as Rasmus would command a decent amount of money, but could potentially be had on a relatively short-term deal in order to prove his value to a future employer. The A’s could be buyers around three years and $30-35M in theory. Oakland typically doesn’t throw that kind of money around lightly, but in today’s market and with a changing of the guard in the front office, we may see the A’s spend a little more in free agency than we are accustomed.
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Add in the fact that Rasmus has spent the last two seasons with the Houston Astros and is familiar with the competition in the AL West, along with the Astros, and bringing in Rasmus could help the A’s not only in his production on the field, but also in the information that he provides from another point of view.
Rasmus may not turn out to be a big masher if he were to join the A’s, but he would bolster the middle of their lineup and should provide at least a league average bat while also offering an upgrade defensively. Outside of Khris Davis, Marcus Semien, Ryon Healy and Stephen Vogt, the A’s offense doesn’t have a lot in the way of run scoring ability.
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Playing in the American League with some of baseball’s top offenses, the A’s will have to be able to score more than a handful of runs on a consistent basis. With what could turn out to be a sneaky good pitching staff, Oakland could surprise some teams in the early going if they are able to improve at the plate, and Colby Rasmus is certainly an upgrade that should be available for A’s-type money.