Francisco Lindor is a marquee name whose magnetic presence will exponentially increase ticket and jersey sales.
Lindor might be the Mets’ most hyped trade acquisition since Johan Santana in 2008. While fans have every reason to applaud his arrival, they shouldn’t overlook the other half of the Mets’ haul.
Right-handed starter Carlos Carrasco is also headed to Queens as part of the deal with Cleveland. Nicknamed “Cookie,” the veteran of 11 major league seasons is as consistent as they come. The criminally underrated Carrasco has never made an All-Star team, though he did finish fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2017.
Pitching Problems
Rotation depth has been a pressing concern for the Mets this offseason. Despite another sparkling campaign from Jacob deGrom, the club’s 5.37 rotation ERA ranked 26th out of 30 major league teams in 2020. The pitchers lined up behind deGrom have all enjoyed recent success, but each comes with a caveat heading into 2021. Marcus Stroman sat out the entire 2020 season, Noah Syndergaard is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t return until mid-season, David Peterson has just nine career starts under his belt, and Steven Matz’s ghastly 2020 made him a non-tender candidate earlier this winter.
Carlos Carrasco is not a panacea for the club’s pitching woes, nor will he be expected to pitch at a Cy Young level. Instead, Carrasco will give the Mets something they lacked in 2020: someone besides deGrom who can provide a quality start every five days.
Cookie’s Characteristics
If you’re an avid baseball follower, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Carrasco averaged 29 starts and 180 innings a year from 2015 to 2018. Much more intriguing is that his strikeout percentage in that span (28.3%) was nearly identical to that of Jacob deGrom (28.4%), and better than those of aces like Justin Verlander (28.1%) and Gerrit Cole (25.9%). Many confuse Carrasco with a traditional sinkerballer because he lacks an overpowering, high-velocity fastball. It would be more accurate to characterize him as a power pitcher who pitches “backwards,” relying on an assortment of high-spin breaking pitches to induce whiffs and ground balls.
Carrasco throws far more offspeed pitches than the average pitcher, and for good reason. His slider, which he throws 28% of the time, is among the most effective breaking balls in the game. In the abbreviated 2020 season, only Dinelson Lamet (71) and Patrick Corbin (39) registered more strikeouts on sliders than Carrasco’s 36. And though he doesn’t rely on his fastball, he’s gradually increased the spin rate on his four-seamer since the start of 2018, leading to more swings and misses on the pitch.
Intriguing Intangibles
Of course, Carrasco should also be commended for his tenacity and contributions off the field. He was named the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2019 after returning from a leukemia diagnosis. As he battled his own illness, Carrasco frequently visited children fighting the disease in Cleveland hospitals. His humanitarian efforts, which include donating food and medical supplies to his native Venezuela, earned him the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award.
Searle’s Final Say
The addition of Carrasco strengthens the Mets rotation and decreases the club’s chances of signing an expensive starter — rather than dole out $30+ million a year for someone like Trevor Bauer, they’ll likely pursue low cost, high-ceiling options like James Paxton and Corey Kluber. Cost aside, Carrasco has the benefit of being under contract for up to three more seasons rather than one, as Lindor currently is. He may not possess the same cachet as Lindor, but make no mistake: he is not a mere “throw-in.”
