Cooked former NY Mets player has been good enough to maybe make the Yankees roster

A 5.32 ERA over the last four seasons isn’t going to stop the New York Yankees from dipping their hands into the cookie jar. Cookie Carrasco to be exact. Former New York Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco inked a minor league deal with the Yankees this offseason. Meant to report to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil have done more than make Marcus Stroman crucial to the rotation. It has paved a path for Carrasco to get an Opening Day roster spot.

Carrasco, to his credit, has looked more chocolate chip than oatmeal raisin this spring. That’s not to say there’s nothing wrong with an oatmeal raisin cookie. It’s just something you’d expect at a nursing home rather than an MLB locker room.

Through 11 innings, Carrasco has struck out 12 and given up 3 earned runs. A pair of home runs, 6 walks, and 3 hit batters are a bit alarming and might be a warning sign to negate the strong 2.45 ERA thus far. Even so, the Yankees brass seems convinced he's a good choice.

Former Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco could make the Yankees roster, but we know the deal

Carrasco had two of the worst seasons imaginable for the Mets. In 2021, he was 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA in 12 starts. His final year included a 3-8 record and 6.80 ERA. The 2022 season where he stayed healthy and went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA turned out to be the outlier in the latter part of his career.

Carrasco wasn’t much different last year with the Cleveland Guardians. In 21 starts he was 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA. While his control has remained pretty steady, strikeouts have declined and home runs have been in abundance. He didn’t quite touch the 5.1% from 2021 but back-to-back seasons at 4.3% far exceed the league average which is around 3%. A righty pitching to lefties in Yankee Stadium is sure to experience a couple of extra bombs.

Staying healthy has been an ongoing problem for Carrasco late in his career. He missed time in two of his three seasons with the Mets. His 2024 campaign ended prematurely with yet another injury. Days away from turning 38, he’s not a superstar mercenary to help your team push its way into the postseason. He’s exactly what the Yankees signed him to be despite the better than expected spring training results.

Yankees fans should view Carrasco in one way: filler. Maybe he helps them get through a month on a limited basis. Getting 5 quality innings each time out should be considered a victory. Turn it over to the bullpen as soon as possible. He’s good for maybe 70 pitches before it all falls apart.