Yankees DFA veteran starting pitcher days after failed relief outing vs Rays

If Carlos Carrasco's era ends in this fashion, then he should definitely be remembered for the entirety of his 19 WAR career. It's been a career in which the cancer survivor collected over 100 wins and 1,500 strikeouts. Will he be added to the coveted Hall of Fame? Probably not, but he's been a fantastic player in his 16 big league seasons. The real question at this point is did the Rays just contributed to the finale for the 38-year old hurler?

Before we breakdown Carrasco's downfall, let's take a peak at his lengthy MLB tenure. Out of his 16 campaigns, the Venezuelan native played 12 years with the Cleveland Guardians. He got off to a slow start in the majors, but when he caught his footing, he became one of the top starting pitchers in the league.

From 2014-2018, Carrasco tossed at least 100 innings per season and produced a combined 20.1 WAR. His best year in that span was 2017 when the right-hander went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA. "Cookie" Carrasco finished fourth in Cy Young voting as well, behind fellow teammate Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, and Luis Severino. These impressive performances from Kluber and Carrasco aided the Guardians to a 102 win season.

Carlos Carrasco took his services to both New York clubs most recently, but his success has been far from equivalent. With the Mets, he accrued a 5.21 ERA over three seasons and his Yankees' stint hasn't been much better. In 32 innings with the Bronx Bombers, Carrasco has a 2-2 record with a 5.91 ERA.

Most of his appearances have been as a starter due to the limited rotation pieces for the Yankees this year. With the losses of Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Marcus Stroman, the former Guardian was forced to play a larger role than originally expected.

In his most recent outing last Sunday, Carrasco was forced to close out the last three innings due to a shortened start from Yankees' rookie Will Warren. He gave up two earned runs on five hits which wound up being the difference maker in a 7-5 Rays' victory. Tampa Bay took the rubber match of the series to improve to 3-4 against their division rivals.