The Braves re-signed Carlos Carrasco to a new major league deal, according to his trade tracker on MLB.com. The transaction logs also pointed to that handler Jair Camargo directed to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Carrasco, 39, was assigned earlier this week. Since then, he has cleared waivers, opted for free agency and signed a new contract in the minors. It’s a cycle Carrasco and Atlanta have been following all year. He has already been added six times this year. Each time, after taking a moment from the list, you are given an assignment and the whole process starts all over again.
It’s a system that clearly works for both parties, or it wouldn’t continue to happen. For the team, the appeal is obvious, as Carrasco effectively gives them the 41st man on their 40-man roster. He is heard from time to time, catches innings to save other arms, and rolls to get a new arm.
For Carrasco, he could choose a solid job, but it seems that no club is willing to give him one. If such an opportunity was available to him, the team may want to be waived. This setup may not be ideal but at least it gives him occasional hits of major league salary and service time.
By all accounts, Carrasco has been very productive in his career in Atlanta, although his recent outings have muddied the waters. He finished June with a 3.68 earned run average in 14 2/3 innings on the year but then allowed five earned runs in two innings against the Mets on Sunday. That lowered his season-long ERA to 5.94. He will now head to Triple-A Gwinnett but it shouldn’t be a surprise if he is re-designated to their roster in the near future.
Camargo, 27, was added to the roster a few weeks ago. Atlanta was playing a doubleheader and gave the club a third backstop on the side Drake Baldwin again Sandy León. Baldwin started the first game and served as the designated hitter in the second when León was caught. Camargo came on in that game for León and scored twice but was elected to return to the minors afterwards. He was tasked earlier this week when the team was called up José Azócar to cover Eli Whitelives in the father’s line. Azócar himself was chosen for the assignment today when White returned.
Like Carrasco, Camargo cleared the waivers. But unlike Carrasco, this is Camargo’s first job. He also has less than three years of major league service, so he is not eligible for free agency.
Atlanta now has Baldwin again Joey Bart as the big league in tandem catching. Camargo can join guys like León once Maverick Handley as a Triple-A non-scheduled death. Camargo has a .125/.222/.250 line in a small sample of nine major league plate appearances. He hasn’t hit much in the juniors either, but he has a good reputation as a defender.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images
