4) Billy Eppler can screw up the NY Mets trade deadline by keeping Carlos Carrasco
I like Carlos Carrasco a lot. I think he had a really solid year in 2022 and played a key role in helping the Mets win 101 games. This season has been a completely different story.
Carrasco has an ERA of 6.40 in 15 starts and 70.1 innings this season. He's had some good moments like his eight scoreless innings in Arizona, but the bad has definitely overshadowed the good.
His walk rate has spiked from 6.4% last season to 9.9% this season. His strikeout rate has plummeted from 23.6% last season to 16.1% this season. His home run rate has jumped from 2.6% last season to 4.0% this season. The 36-year-old just doesn't appear to be a usable pitcher anymore.
In Carrasco's last two starts he's allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits, going 2.1 innings in both games. They honestly felt worse than the numbers show, which is hard to fathom.
With him being on the final year of his deal, the Mets should look to move on. Maybe if the Mets eat the money on his deal a team would take him in a trade just based on his solid track record, but if not, they should just DFA him. Let someone like David Peterson or Tylor Megill start in his place. They could even bring up a young arm like Mike Vasil to see what he can do.
Carrasco will almost certainly not be back in 2024, so you might as well see if you can find someone who can help you next season. If nobody else sticks out, at least you'll know who you can't rely on.