Rays extend Rasmussen on 2-year, $8.5M contract
The Tampa Bay Rays extended pitcher Drew Rasmussen, his agency, Beverly Hill Sports Council, announced Tuesday.
The contract awards Rasmussen a $500K signing bonus and buys out his final two arbitration years. It pays him $2 million in 2025 and $5.5 million in 2026 and includes an $8 million option for 2027 with a $500,000 buyout, according to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
The option reportedly contains escalator clauses based on health and innings pitched.
Rasmussen is expected to rejoin the Rays' starting rotation full time in 2025 after making 12 relief appearances last year. The right-hander didn't debut until August, as he worked his way back from season-ending elbow surgery that limited him to eight starts in 2023.
The 29-year-old impressed the last time he was fully healthy in 2022, recording a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over a career-high 146 innings.
Rasmussen holds a career 2.95 ERA (133 ERA+).