Carlos Carrasco‘s latest trip to free agency was predictably brief. He’s back with the Braves on a new minor league deal and has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, per the team’s MLB.com transaction log. Carrasco was designated for assignment this week and elected free agency yesterday after clearing waivers.
The 39-year-old veteran has pitched well with Atlanta this season, both in the majors and in Triple-A. The two parties are clearly showing an openness to Carrasco operating as something of a 41st man on the roster — being summoned to the majors when a need for some length in the bullpen or a spot start arises and then running through waivers and re-signing in near-immediate fashion. Carrasco could always simply accept an outright assignment, but hammering out a new minor league deal could include slightly more favorable terms, new opt-out dates that weren’t present in the prior deal, and other perks.
The end result is the same. Carrasco’s back with Atlanta and figures to be one of the first names called if and when they need a fresh arm. If he continues to pitch as well as he has, there’s a chance he’ll be claimed by another club one of these times, but that’d be just as favorable an outcome for him, as he’d then remain on a big league roster and continue to collect a big league salary. So long as Carrasco is on board with the DFA carousel gambit — and it’s clear he is, or he wouldn’t keep immediately re-signing there — then the setup is a win-win for both team and player.
Carrasco has pitched 2 1/3 shutout frames in a pair of big league appearances this year. He’s also made four starts for Gwinnett and pitched to a 1.71 ERA with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio (20.7 K%, 5.7 BB%) in 21 innings. The Braves originally connected with Carrasco last July after he was designated for assignment by the Yankees and traded to Atlanta for cash. He cleared waivers with Atlanta last August and re-signed, then re-signed again in the offseason. He’s now re-signed under similar circumstances twice this season, bringing him to a total of four minor league deals with the Braves since last August.
