Yankees sign Carlos Carrasco, add veteran rotation depth on minor league deal

The Yankees added an experienced limb to their rotation extent connected Monday, arsenic a root confirmed that the squad has signed Carlos Carrasco to a insignificant league deal.

The root besides confirmed that Carrasco’s woody comes with an invitation to large league camp, a $1.5 cardinal basal wage if helium makes the majors, and the accidental to gain an further $2.5 cardinal successful show bonuses. The YES Network’s Jack Curry archetypal reported the Yankees’ pact with the right-hander, who turns 38 successful March.

A 15-year veteran, Carrasco pitched successful Cleveland from 2009-2020 earlier spending 3 seasons with the Mets. The Venezuelan returned to Cleveland past twelvemonth and recorded a 5.64 ERA implicit 21 starts and 103.2 innings.

Carrasco has a 5.32 ERA since 2021, but a 4.14 ERA implicit 1,641.2 vocation innings. His champion play came successful 2018, erstwhile helium went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA and finished 4th successful American League Cy Young voting.

Nicknamed “Cookie,” Carrasco was 1 of the much accordant starters successful shot from 2014-2020, tallying a 3.41 ERA implicit 1,004 innings.

Carrasco was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia during the 2019 season. However, helium returned to enactment that September earlier winning the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and the Roberto Clemente Award.

Yankees pitching manager Matt Blake is acquainted with Carrasco from the hurler’s archetypal stint successful Cleveland. Blake worked arsenic the club’s insignificant league pitching coordinator and adjunct manager of pitching improvement from 2015-2019.

While the Yankees volition look to spot what Carrasco has near successful the tank, their rotation is presently afloat with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt filling retired the apical of the extent chart. There’s besides Marcus Stroman, who has been the taxable of commercialized rumors each offseason.

Stroman is acceptable to gain $18 cardinal successful 2025, and helium could trigger a 2026 enactment for the aforesaid wage if helium logs 140 innings this season. Those figures – on with Stroman’s unsmooth 2nd fractional successful 2024 – person made it hard for the Yankees to find a taker for the righty frankincense far.

With Yankees pitchers and catchers officially reporting to campy adjacent Tuesday, it is imaginable that Stroman sticks around, particularly successful the lawsuit of an injury.

With Carrasco present connected board, different extent options see JT Brubaker, Will Warren, Allan Winans and Chase Hampton. Clayton Beeter & Yoendrys Gómez besides person starting experience, but they look much similar alleviation candidates astatine the moment.

Carrasco is not the lone notable seasoned to motion a insignificant league declaration with the Yankees this offseason, arsenic they’ve besides inked Dominic Smith, Pablo Reyes and Andrew Velazquez, among others.

With outpouring grooming astir a week away, the Yankees inactive person questions successful their infield and bullpen. There isn’t a left-handed reliever connected the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, Jazz Chisholm Jr. presently pencils successful arsenic the team’s starting 2nd baseman with DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza positioned for a 3rd basal competition.