The biggest believer of the New York Mets might very well be their newest member.
Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco was introduced to the New York media on Tuesday afternoon just days after he was acquired alongside superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians.
The 33-year-old right-hander bolsters the top end of the Mets’ rotation behind Jacob deGrom slotting in at either the No. 2 or 3 spot next to Marcus Stroman.
“[The Mets] are getting a really good guy, a really good pitcher, and at the same time, I just get in there and compete,” Carrasco said. “Every five days, I want to give them an opportunity to win some games. That’s my goal.”
Joining a team that is on the precipice of making a legitimate run toward a National League pennant, Carrasco is ready to help the Mets take that next step in 2021.
“The potential is to make it to the playoffs and the World Series too,” he said. “We have a really good team … We have really good players, starting pitchers, relievers, I think we’re going to be fine. That’s the whole point: Making the playoffs and the World Series. We have a great team.”
He later doubled down on those sentiments.
“We’re going to make it to the playoffs and even the World Series, too — that’s where my feeling is,” Carrasco added. “We’re going to do it. We’re going to make it.”
Carrasco is coming off an impressive showing in 2020, posting a 2.91 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 68 innings of work during the shortened season. It was even more awe-inspiring when considering he recently overcame leukemia in 2019 — a journey that built his appreciation and love for baseball even more.
“My wife, she is the one to get me through everything,” Carrasco was sure to point out. “From that date until now, I’ve been seeing a lot of love from teammates, the community, other teams. The relationship is beautiful from baseball. It’s really nice.”
With a ton of support coming from Cleveland, where he spent his first 12 professional years, being traded from the Indians provided a bittersweet moment for Carrasco, but the buzz surrounding the Mets is only providing excitement.
“I spent 12, 13 years over there but as soon as I heard I got traded to the New York Mets, a lot of things came to mind,” he said. “I was happy, my reaction was really nice … Myself, my family, my friends, they’re really happy for me.”
It appears taking this next step with Lindor is only going to make it easier for Carrasco to assimilate to life with New York, all while continuing to have a front seat to the All-Star he always saw coming.
“I knew he was going to be a superstar,” he said. “I still tell him when I see him, ‘You’re a superstar. Thank you for giving me and our team an opportunity to play with you.’”
This story originally appeared on amny.com.
