Report: Indians extend Carlos Carrasco for four years

Cleveland signs young starter Carlos Carrasco to four year-extension

The Cleveland Indians have reportedly agreed to a four-year extension with starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

Carrasco, 28, gets a four-year extension worth $22 million in guaranteed money, with options and incentives that can take it to $50 million.

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reported the deal’s specifics:

Sources: Carlos Carrasco, Indians agree to four-year contract extension with two club options. Guaranteed money believed to be ~$30M.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 5, 2015

Passan updated later:

Carlos Carrasco's deal can max out ~$50M with escalators and options. Guarantee is four years, $22M. Both options would take it above $40M.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 5, 2015

The news comes on the same day the Indians announced an extension for fellow starting pitcher and defending Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.

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Carrasco is expected to be the number two starter for Cleveland this year, and is supposed to start April 7 vs. Houston.

Carrasco is coming off a fiery hot second half for last year’s Indians; over his final 10 starts, he struck out 78, walked 11 with a 1.30 ERA over 69 innings.

Carrasco was acquired as part of the Cliff Lee trade in 2009, and could have been considered a bust as recently as last year, having been demoted to the minors during the 2013 season, before breaking out in a big way in 2014.

However, there are some red flags to extending a pitcher with as short a history of success as Carrasco has. He has started 20 or more games only once, in 2011, failing to top even 14 starts in any other season. He posted an unimpressive 4.62 ERA in that 2011 season, and has a career ERA of 4.30. He also has a somewhat volatile history, having been suspended in 2011 for throwing at Billy Butler’s head, and not returning to the mound until 2013…whereupon he immediately threw at somebody’s head again (this time Kevin Youkilis was the victim).

The Indians are hoping that all that’s behind him now, and are betting on last year’s breakout to be the real deal. The extension has a chance to become a huge bargain if that is the case, paying for a number two starter less than half of what the White Sox gave closer David Robertson in free agency this year.

Between Carrasco and Kluber, the Indians have made dual moves to lock up their late-blooming starters to deals that could solidify their rotation for years to come, if the players live up to them. Carrasco doesn’t have a Cy young to his name or anything, but he was electric last year; if he’s that pitcher again this year, the Indians have signed him to a team-friendly deal to rival any in the majors.

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