One day after Francisco Lindor greeted New York media and fans, star pitcher Carlos Carrasco was introduced by the New York Mets as the newest member of the starting rotation, one that now has Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, David Peterson, an injured Noah Syndergaard, and the man they refer to as “Cookie.”
A true warrior, Carrasco overcame leukemia to post a 2.91 ERA and a 3.59 FIP in 68 innings with the Cleveland Indians. The Mets traded two prospects and shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez in exchange for Carrasco and Lindor.
“I’m so happy right now,†Carrasco said in a virtual press conference. “I wish Spring Training started next week, to meet everyone and start wearing this jersey. It’s something really important for me, just wearing this jersey right now.â€
Carrasco will slide just after deGrom in a championship-caliber New York Mets rotation. Speaking of that, it’s the primary goal of “Cookie”: win a World Series.
“The potential is to make it to the playoffs and to the World Series, too,†Carrasco said. “They have a really good team. We have a really good team. Adding myself and Lindor is going to be really, really good, really nice.”
The Mets are getting a great one
With a 3.77 ERA and a 3.42 FIP, Carrasco has been quite good during his career. He also has a 9.45 K/9 and a 2.33 BB/9, meaning he can strike people out while limiting his walks.
Lindor and Carrasco were happy to be traded together to the Mets. The former called the latter to tell him, “Hey Cookie, we’re leaving together.”
Speaking of Lindor, he praised the right-handed pitcher, who has been his teammate for years. “He brings a great energy,†Lindor said. “Carrasco is an outstanding teammate. He cares about the game. He cares about winning. And the happiness he brings to the clubhouse every single day, it’s something to look forward to and admire. … He wants to please people. So that’s going to be a great facet that he’s going to bring to the Mets organization. People are going to love him for sure.â€