CLEVELAND, Ohio – Carlos Carrasco said his family was sad to leave Cleveland, but he was glad his teammate Francisco Lindor was with him.
The Indians traded Carrasco and Lindor to the New York Mets on Thursday for players Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, right-hander Josh Wolf and fielder Isaiah Greene. Carrasco has been with the Indians since 2009, while Lindor was number 1 on the team in 2011.
While the trade was declining, Carrasco told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Lindor called him and said, ‘Hey, cookie, we’re leaving. We leave together. I said, ‘Oh, my God. ”
Carrasco (33) has been making a steady contribution to the rotation of the Indians for almost ten seasons. He made his big league debut in 2009 after being acquired by the Phillies in the Cliff Lee deal.
“I learned a lot in Cleveland,” Carrasco said. ‘They gave me an opportunity from day 1 on July 29, 2009 when I traded there until now.
‘I give them full credit for teaching me how to play and grow up. This is a new chapter. This is a great opportunity for me to play with the New York Mets. My family and I are really happy. ”
He is especially happy that Lindor will play short stop behind him.
“I like playing with Lindor,” he said. “I always say thank you to him. I always say from Day 1: ‘you’re a superstar.’ That’s what he’s, a superstar. He knows how to do everything. I like to have him on shortstop. Now we pull together and things are going to be good for us and good for the Mets. ”
Carrasco will take part in a rotation with the two-time winner of Cy Young, Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Steven Matz. Noah Syndergaard, who is recovering from the Tommy John operation, may also return.
‘I’ve been to a lot of good pitchers – Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer, who won Cy Youngs last year. Corey Kluber won two Cy Youngs. Now I’m going to the Mets and they have deGrom, Syndergaard, Stroman … all the guys. It’s going to be really fun.
‘I like learning from other pitchers and other people. I would like to ask questions even now when I have been in the big leagues for almost ten years. … It’s going to be really nice. ”
Carrasco was very fond of his Indian teammates and the city of Cleveland for his charity work. In 2019, he received the Roberto Clemente Award for his charity work in Cleveland and around the world.
He also offers inspiration and treats chronic myeloid leukemia in 2019. The disease cost him three months of the season, but he returned in September as a reliever. This year, he started all 12, with a 3-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 68 overs.
“I try to enjoy every moment in baseball because baseball is not forever,” Carrasco said. “That’s what I’m doing now. Enjoy this moment. ”
He said when his wife, Karilis, and five children learned that he had been traded to the Mets, they were sad.
“We spent so much time in Cleveland, in the community with friends,” he said. ‘All those things. They were happy because we were going to move to a new team and a new chapter, but to be honest with you, my family was really sad.
‘But at the same time, it’s part of the game. They completely understand what’s going on. Now I’m going to enjoy our new team, our new community, new fans and new friends. ”
He said he was going to get involved in community activities with the Mets as soon as possible.
“This is what we want to do,” Carrasco said. “My wife and I have a pretty good team. We will do the same as we did in Cleveland. ‘
Carrasco’s best season took place in 2018. He won 18-6 with an ERA of 3.29 in 32 starts. He hit 226 batsmen in 200 overs.
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