Now that the 2023 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the Mets’ players. This series will take a look at every player on the roster for the Mets at the end of the season from A (Abraham Almonte) to W (Josh Walker). The review will look at their season statistics, stories, and what role (if any) they will have next season. We continue the series today with a look at starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
Player Review: Carlos Carrasco
2023 Stats: 20 Starts, 90.0 Innings Pitched, 3-8 Won-Loss Record, 6.80 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 66:38 K:BB Ratio, .310 Batting Average Against, -1.3 WAR
Story: After a strong performance in 2022 where he won 15 games, the Mets decided to pick up Carlos Carrasco’s team option to ensure he was part of their 2023 rotation. Things got off to a poor start for Carrasco as he struggled to adjust to the pitch clock, getting hit hard in his first few starts before landing on the injured list in mid-April with elbow inflammation. The injury sidelined Carrasco for about a month and he returned to the Mets in mid-May, struggling at first but settling into a solid groove by mid-June.
The highlight of Carrasco’s season came on July 6, when he tossed eight shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks to earn his third win of the season. That would be the last victory Carrasco would register as he started to struggle again, getting hammered routinely and failing to give the Mets sufficient length in starts. The Mets even tried waiving Carrasco to see if another team would pick him up for free and there were no takers, leaving Carrasco set to finish the year with the Mets. There was chatter that the Mets would remove Carrasco from the rotation but that became moot when he broke a finger on his pitching hand in a weight room accident, ending his season just shy of September.
Grade: F
The Mets saw Carrasco fall off a cliff essentially overnight, which isn’t something they would have even considered a remote possibility when they picked up his option for 2023. With the benefit of hindsight the Mets would have allocated his $13 million salary elsewhere.
Contract Status: Free Agent
Odds of Returning: 0%
2024 Role: None
Carrasco will become a free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series and the Mets clearly have no interest in bringing him back. Given the current state of the game and the fact that the pitch clock is here to stay Carrasco will likely have to take a minor league deal somewhere else if he wants to continue his big league career.
Check back tomorrow as our Player Review Series continues with a look at relief pitcher Sam Coonrod!
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