The Baltimore Orioles aren't the only team in the American League East interested in signing Colby Rasmus, as the Tampa Bay Rays have also had discussions with the 28-year-old free agent, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.
Under the stewardship of newly promoted general manager Matt Silverman, the Rays have aggressively overhauled their roster this offseason, trading away Jeremy Hellickson, Sean Rodriguez, Joel Peralta, Matt Joyce and Wil Myers in recent weeks. Eager to unload their aging veterans, the Rays also appear likely to trade Ben Zobrist, a move that could create a spot in the outfield for Rasmus.
If Zobrist gone, #Rays outfield/DH rotation becomes DeJesus, Jennings, Kiermaier, Souza. Room for one more bat, hence Rasmus pursuit.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 5, 2015
The Rays became increasingly familiar with Rasmus over the last four seasons after the Toronto Blue Jays acquired the former first-round pick in July of 2011. He proved terribly inconsistent throughout his tenure with the Blue Jays, though, and hit just .225/.287/.448 with 18 home runs and 124 strikeouts over 104 games last season.
Rasmus, incidentally, was visited at his Alabama home by Orioles manager Buck Showalter on Saturday, and the veteran skipper reportedly made a very favorable impression on the taciturn center fielder.
