Colby Rasmus taking physical with Astros

UPDATE: Rasmus is in fact in Houston to take a physical with the Astros, as Mark Berman of FOX26 first reported. He told Berman that he does not yet have a deal with the team, though the fact that he is taking a physical means that talks are getting serious between the sides.

ORIGINAL: Earlier in the offseason, I was told that the Astros were linked to free-agent outfielder Colby Rasmus, though the extent of that interest was not known. With Dexter Fowler traded yesterday to the Cubs in exchange for Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily, an addition of Rasmus to a new-look Astros club would seem to make some sense, even with the team's glut of young outfielders on the current roster.

SB Nation's Crawfish Boxes received a Rasmus-related tip on Twitter earlier today, with a reader commenting that he had spotted Rasmus and his family at a hotel near Minute Maid Park in Houston. Obviously, random Twitter comments always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but Evan Gattis and potential addition Ryan Vogelsong were both spotted in Houston in advance of joining the Astros in the last couple weeks. According to league sources, Rasmus may be moving toward signing at some point this week, so a visit to Houston at this point would make sense.

And one last thing: Astros' general manager Jeff Luhnow drafted Rasmus with the Cardinals in 2005, meaning there's an obvious connection there. Familiarity may play a crucial role in Rasmus' free agency, according to people in the game.

Connecting these dots may mean that Rasmus will end up signing with the Astros, or could all be coincidental. The team is known to be aggressively adding pieces this offseason, so signing Rasmus on a one-year, pillow-type contract would make some sense.