By: Matt Rappa, managing editor 
TEMPE, Ariz. — Former Philadelphia Phillies minor-league southpaw Rob Rasmussen has retired with aspirations of pursuing a degree in business, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
Rasmussen, 26, was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP ratio in four Cactus League appearances this spring with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a team that selected him off waivers from the Seattle Mariners on Dec. 23, 2015.
Acquired on Aug. 31, 2013, from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for seven-time All-Star third baseman Michael Young, Rasmussen never appeared in a minor-league game within the Phillies' organization before being dealt— with catcher Erik Kratz—95 days later to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed reliever Brad Lincoln.
According to Bob Brookover of the Philadephia Inquirer, Rasmussen was "the player who convinced Amaro to pull the trigger on the deal that sent Young to the Los Angeles Dodgers."
Brookover writes:
Forty minutes before midnight Saturday, Ruben Amaro Jr. thought Michael Young would be spending the final month of the season with the Phillies.
"At about 11:20 Eastern, I thought the deal was dead . . . because we had not agreed on players," the Phillies general manager said. "And then it got revived." …
"Rasmussen is a smaller lefty with a big arm," Amaro said. "He's starting now, but he could be a guy later on who could pitch in the bullpen. Lefthanders are always valuable. He's viewed as a really strong makeup kid with a big arm."
In 30 career relief appearances with the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, the Pasadena, California, native was 2-1 with a 7.09 ERA and a 1.838 WHIP ratio over 26 2/3 innings. In 2010, he led the UCLA Bruins to the 2010 College World Series alongside right-handers Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians.
Rasmussen was drafted in the 27th round of the 2007 amateur draft by the Dodgers, but he did not sign. Three years later, he was selected by the Florida Marlins in the second round, 73rd overall.
