Carlos Carrasco has visited several different countries this season, including Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup.
But the question remains whether the Mets right-hander will make the February trip to Port St. Lucie, Fla., for spring training.
After the Mets’ whirlwind spending spree last week that brought Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga into the rotation, Carrasco’s return is unlikely. But Carrasco certainly understands the business side of the game.
“I’ve been around baseball for a long time,” Carrasco said Tuesday at Target on Queens Boulevard, where he was part of a Mets holiday shopping spree that bought gifts for children from Women in Need. “This is not the first time [if] I will trade. All I can say is keep getting ready for spring training and if it happens, it happens.
Carrasco, who turned 36 in March, posted a 3.97 ERA in 29 starts for the Mets last season and was penciled in as the fifth starter behind Max Scherzer, Verlander, Quintana and Senga. But the Mets could also deal Carrasco and give a younger arm like Tylor Magill or David Peterson a full-time shot in the rotation next season. Or the Mets could look to the free agent or trade market for another arm that could be a potential upgrade.
The Mets picked up Carrasco’s $14 million option for next season before last month after he became a physical concern. Carrasco’s contract included a $3 million buyout, making the option an $11 million decision.
Until told otherwise, Carrasco is expected to remain with the Mets, who acquired him from Cleveland in the trade that brought Francisco Lindor to Queens before the 2021 season. The Mets gave up infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario in the deal.
“I’m really excited about the additions,” Carrasco said. “We have Verlander and [Jacob] deGrom just left, but it was nice to play with him and have him as a teammate, but the additions that we have made us happy and I can’t wait to go to spring training and start training and get ready for the season.
As for his time off, which included taking part in the World Cup games, Carrasco found it enlightening.
“I’ve never been to the World Cup and I was with my wife, it was great,” said Carrasco of Venezuela. “You know how the playoffs are here, the emotions and how loud it is, but it’s completely different over there and the experience I had was really nice.”
Carrasco’s teammate Daniel Vogelbach took part in the holiday trade and said he was disappointed deGrom left — the ace received a five-year, $185 million deal from the Rangers — but it reassured the Mets that Verlander had a backup plan, three times. Cy Young Award Winner.
“I was here for a short time [last season], a lot of guys played with Jake for a long time,” Voglebach said. “Everyone knows how good he is on the pitch and he’s been great to me as a person.”
“He was a great person, a great teammate, and I’m glad I got to play with him for a short time, and I’m glad you traded him for one of the best hitters in the big leagues in a long time. In this game when you surround yourself with greats, you try to learn.”
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