Terminally underrated Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been the focus of some trade speculation this offseason, but that didn't prevent team and player from coming together on a contract extension.
On Thursday, the Indians announced that they've signed Carrasco to a contract extension that will run through the 2022 season -- i.e., his age-35 season. Here's Ken Rosenthal with some additional details ...
#Indians exercise RHP Carlos Carrasco’s $10.25M option for 2020 and sign him to two-year extension for ‘21 and ‘22 with vesting option for ‘23, sources tell The Athletic. The extension covers Carrasco’s age 34 and 35 seasons. The vesting option is for his age 36 campaign.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 6, 2018
Carrasco had been locked up through 2020 with that club option noted above, and this deal tacks on two more years. This doesn't preclude a trade, certainly, and it may even make Carrasco more attractive to other teams. It may also mean the Indians will trade a different starting pitcher (ace Corey Kluber has been the most heavily rumored) in order to address the roster hole in the outfield.
As for Carrasco, he's been a consistent force in the Cleveland rotation for the last half-decade. Last season, he pitched to a 3.38 ERA and career-best 5.37 K/BB ratio in 192 innings. For his career, he owns an ERA+ of 115 and a WAR of 20.3 across parts of nine big-league seasons. In 2017, Carrasco finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting.
