The Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins announced Wednesday that right-hander and 17-year Major League Baseball veteran Carlos Carrasco has signed a contract for the remainder of the season.
A report from Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency indicates Carrasco will earn $360,000 during his time with the Twins.
Carrasco, 39, spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Guardians before he was included in an offseason trade in 2021 that sent Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets.
With the Guardians, Carrasco emerged as one of the top starters in the American League, finishing fourth in the 2017 Cy Young Award voting. He has a career 4.24 ERA with 1,703 strikeouts since making his debut in 2009.
This is Carrasco’s first professional stop overseas. After departing the Mets, he returned to Cleveland in 2024 before enjoying short stints with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.
Amazingly, the Braves designated Carrasco for assignment seven times over the past calendar year. Following the DFA, the Barquisimeto, Venezuela, native would elect free agency and re-sign on a minor league deal.
In 16 ⅔ innings with the Braves in 2026, Carrasco allowed 11 earned runs on 21 hits with just seven strikeouts. As expected, Carrasco’s average fastball velocity has decreased with age. In 2015, his average four-seamer routinely hit 95.2 mph. Now, that number has lowered to 91.1 mph.
He’ll likely slot into LG’s rotation after the club recently released former MLB reliever Yacksel Rios. The Twins are the KBO’s defending champions after they defeated the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Korea Series in five games.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the third-place Twins are trailing the KT Wiz by one game and the first-place Samsung Lions by three games.
Photo: Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Carlos Carrasco throws against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
