MILWAUKEE - Drew Rasmussen isn’t hiding the respect he has for the Brewers. He also isn’t softening the mission in front of him.
With the Rays set to face Milwaukee Saturday night, the Game 2 starter talked plenty about the organization that helped shape his career - even as he prepares to try to knock it out of the way and keep the Brewers from reaching their first World Series in 44 years.
“It’s a fantastic organization. There’s a ton of great people here. The guys I know on the team are incredible human beings, first and foremost, and obviously incredible talents, too,” Rasmussen said.
His connection to the Brewers runs deep. Milwaukee selected him in the 2018 draft, when he was taken as a sixth-round pick after every other team passed on him five times. Rasmussen said the Brewers were straightforward with him about the path he’d need to take to the majors, and they followed through.
“They told me the truth about how my progression to get to the big leagues would go, and they stuck to their word - so long as I performed, they would give me an opportunity, and they did that. It’s the place, it’s the organization I debuted with.”
That debut came in August 2020, after the Brewers had drafted him 31st overall in 2017 but didn’t sign him because he failed the physical due to the condition of his elbow, which led to a second Tommy John surgery. Milwaukee eventually brought him back in the sixth round for $135,000, helped him return to form and watched him reach the big leagues.
Then came the trade that sent him to Tampa Bay on May 21, 2021. The Brewers got shortstop Willy Adames and reliever Trevor Richards.
The Rays received reliever J.P. Feyereisen and Rasmussen, who has since become one of the game’s top starters.
In 111 career regular-season starts, Rasmussen is 44-19 with a 2.69 ERA. He has made two All-Star appearances and secured a $20 million contract through a maxed-out team option for 2027.
Still, he keeps coming back to Milwaukee as a place that mattered.
“Ultimately, I couldn’t be more grateful for the location they traded me to,” Rasmussen said. “My time in Tampa (Bay), it’s meant the world to me.
I know Stevie and I have seen our family grow there. Obviously, we have a ton of incredible people in our front office, our coaching staff, behind the scenes.
“It’s a funny way to kind of look at it, but the greatest blessings in my career have come because of the Milwaukee Brewers.”
Rasmussen said he already handled a start against Milwaukee at American Family Field on April 1 and said the right things then, too. Friday’s comments carried the same appreciation, but the stakes are far different now.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy made clear the feeling is mutual.
“Having him in the organization, knowing what kind of kid he is, nobody’s surprised this kid is super successful,” Murphy said Friday. “Nobody’s surprised.”
Brandon Woodruff was just as complimentary.
“Drew is an unbelievable person,” Woodruff said. “That was very evident the first time I got to meet him after being drafted and getting to watch him pitch here, and after he was traded and going through the elbow injury again.
You have sentiment for guys who go through that kind of stuff and have to battle back. “Man, he had an unbelievable year.
He’s throwing the heck out of the ball. That’s props to him.
But I think first and foremost, ‘Ras’ is a great guy. He’s a great teammate, and that’s what I remember most about him being here, and he works his tail off, for sure.”
Rasmussen said he and his wife, Stevie, even laughed about the odd setup of the matchup.
“Stevie and I were laughing about it earlier,” he said. “Had the Brewers been playing anyone else in the World Series, man, I’d be rooting for them.“
For Rasmussen, the pairing feels unusual, but not complicated. He appreciates what Milwaukee meant to him, and he knows exactly which side he’s on Saturday night.
“It’s a really unique, really cool matchup. I’m excited for this one.
But like I said, we’re here to do a job just as they are. I’m excited for their fan base and their organization, but at the end of the day it is us they’re competing against, and we really want to win a World Series as well.”
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