NOV. 16: The Angels announced today that outfielder Shane Robinson, who was outrighted at the same time as Rasmus, has also elected free agency.
Robinson, 32, tallied 111 plate appearances with Anaheim last season and turned in a lackluster .173/.257/.235 batting line in that time — the worst production of his big league career. He hit a bit better with the 2015 Twins, slashing .250/.299/.322 and comes with a respectable .269/.332/.377 line in more than 1200 Triple-A plate appearances. Robinson doesn’t come with much upside at the plate, but he’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and has drawn positive grades for his work in center field. He should be able to latch on elsewhere this offseason and head to Spring Training with a chance to compete for a bench job.
NOV. 15: Right-hander Cory Rasmus has rejected his outright assignment from the Angels and opted instead for free agency, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Rasmus was designated for assignment last week and cleared outright waivers yesterday.
Rasmus, the 29-year-old younger brother of outfielder Colby Rasmus, was arbitration eligible and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to receive a modest raise to a $700K salary as a Super Two player prior to his DFA. The 38th overall pick in the 2006 draft (by the Braves), Rasmus had a strong first season with the Halos back in 2014 but has struggled to a 5.56 ERA in 45 1/3 innings across the past two years in Anaheim. He underwent core muscle surgery in mid-July and returned in mid-September but allowed three runs in three innings over five appearances to close out the year. In 123 innings at the Major League level, Rasmus has a 4.17 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 34.9 percent ground-ball rate. He’s averaged 92.4 mph on his fastball, though he sat at 91.8 mph in each of the past two seasons.