Colby Rasmus and the Blue Jays have avoided arbitration with a one-year, $4.675 million deal.
Rasmus has been a huge disappointment since coming to Toronto, hitting just .213 with a .657 OPS that’s a 120-point dropoff from his production in St. Louis, but he’s still only 26 years old and center fielders with 25-homer power aren’t easily found.
However, even with a mediocre 2013 season he’d be in line for a big raise next offseason for his third and final year of arbitration and that would make Rasmus a non-tender candidate. Or he could get back on track, have a strong season at age 26, and give the Blue Jays a tough decision to make in terms of offering him a long-term deal heading into his 2014 walk year.
