A former New York Mets trade acquisition is heading to their crosstown rival.
On Monday, YES Network’s Jack Curry reported that the New York Yankees signed veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco to a minor league contract. “Cookie” pitched for the Mets from 2021 to 2023 after being included in the blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade.
Carrasco, who turns 38 in March, spent the 2024 season with the Cleveland Guardians, returning to the organization where he spent the first 11 years of his MLB career. In 21 starts, he went 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 7.7 K/9 rate over 103.2 innings.
His fastball velocity averaged 91.6 mph last season, the lowest of his 15-year career, and the pitch generated a -8 run value, according to Statcast. Carrasco was also vulnerable to the long ball, surrendering an average of 1.65 home runs per nine innings.
Before his time with the Mets, Carrasco was one of the game’s top starters. From 2014 to 2018, he logged 856 innings with a 3.27 ERA, posting above-average strikeout and walk rates. He notably finished fourth in the 2017 Cy Young Award voting after leading the American League with 18 wins.
Carrasco was also one of the game’s best comeback stories, overcoming leukemia in 2019. He returned to the mound just months after being diagnosed and earned both the Roberto Clemente Award and AL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Carrasco made 12 starts, finishing with a 3-4 record, a 2.91 ERA, and 82 strikeouts in 68 innings.
Carrasco’s Mets debut was delayed until late July 2021 after he tore his hamstring during a spring training running drill. He struggled to a 6.04 ERA in his first year, rebounded with a 15-7 record and a 3.97 ERA in 2022, then posted a 3-8 record with a 6.80 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 2023.
When Carrasco reports to spring training at the Yankees’ facility in Tampa, he will join a crowded pitching staff that includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman.
Given the depth of the rotation, it is unlikely Carrasco will break camp with the Yankees. However, if the team can find a trade partner for Stroman and his $18.3 million salary, Carrasco could have an easier path back to the majors at some point this season, whether as a spot starter or an injury replacement.
Additional depth options on the Yankees’ 40-man roster include JT Brubaker, Allan Winans, and prospects Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, and Yoendrys Gómez.
