Yankees Sign Aging Former Cy Young Candidate

The New York Yankees already made a huge splash on the free agent market to add to their pitching staff, with the massive $218 million, 8-year signing of Max Fried. And while Fried was a Top-5 Cy Young candidate on two different occasions, the Yanks have now added another former Cy candidate, signing free agent Carlos Carrasco to a minor league deal.

The Yankees have signed Carlos Carrasco to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, per multiple reports pic.twitter.com/fFMZZhZ8Ah
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 3, 2025

Carrasco, going into his age-38 season, will also get an invitation to Spring Training to try to crack the Yankees staff.

The Venezuelan right-hander was an ace for the Cleveland Guardians for several seasons in the previous decade, and had his own Top-5 Cy Young finish in 2017 when he went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP along with a 10:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio per nine innings.

In three years with the NY Mets from 2021 through 2023, Carrasco sandwiched one strong season (15-7, 3.97 ERA) between two brutal ones (4-13, 6.50 ERA). In 2024, back with the Guardians, he struggled again to a 5.64 ERA.

Will he have anything left for a run at the Yankees staff? We'll know over the next six weeks or so.