Guardians bring back Carrasco on minor-league deal

The Cleveland Guardians are bringing an old friend to camp next month.

The team signed veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, sources told Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

He'll receive a $2-million salary if he makes the big-league team, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Carrasco, 36, spent his first 12 big-league seasons with Cleveland. A staple of the team's rotation during the 2010s, he helped Cleveland to four playoff appearances but missed the team's 2016 run to the World Series after a late-season injury. His best season came in 2017 when he finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting after collecting an MLB-high 18 wins.

Before the 2021 season, Cleveland sent Carrasco to the New York Mets alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster trade. Though he helped the Mets reach the postseason in 2022, Carrasco's tenure in New York was rocky. This past season, he made just 20 starts due to injuries and posted a career-worst 6.80 ERA along with 6.6 K/9, while walking nearly four batters per nine innings.

He'll now attempt to crack the Guardians' Opening Day roster as either a fifth starter or swingman. Carrasco could also serve as a veteran mentor for some of the team's bright young starters, including Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, and Gavin Williams.

Carrasco owns a lifetime 107-93 record with a 4.04 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 1,573 strikeouts across 303 big-league appearances (256 starts) since 2009.

While Carrasco's deal isn't official, the Guardians did announce on Saturday that they invited pitcher Tyler Beede to camp on a minor-league deal. The 30-year-old right-hander, a former first-round pick and top prospect of the San Francisco Giants, pitched parts of four seasons in the majors before spending last year in Japan.