Colby Rasmus accepts Astros' qualifying offer of $15.8 million

HOUSTON -- A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press outfielder Colby Rasmus (Russell County alum) has accepted the Houston Astros' one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer, the first free agent to agree to such a deal.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team hasn't announced the move.

All 34 qualifying offers were turned down in the first three years of baseball's current collective bargaining agreement. When a player rejects the deal in order to test the market, his former team receives an additional high selection in the June draft.

There were 20 qualifying offers made to free agents this year. The deadline to accept or reject is today at 5 p.m. EST.

The 29-year-old Rasmus hit .238 with a career-high 25 home runs and 61 RBIs in his first season with the Astros. He had four homers in six postseason games, including one in the AL wild-card game against the Yankees.

Rasmus is a career .245 hitter in seven major league seasons.

The deal was first reported by Fox Sports.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Colby Rasmus accepts Astros' qualifying offer of $15.8 million ."