By Jackson Roberts | Newsweek | Updated December 10, 2025
Teams across Major League Baseball are aggressively searching for pitching this time of year, and that pursuit often includes overlooked arms who have spent years in the minors without cracking the big leagues. The Texas Rangers had one such pitcher in their system: 27-year-old Mexican right-hander Gerardo Carrillo, who joined the organization as a minor-league free agent after the 2023 season.
Carrillo, who previously pitched in the Dodgers and Nationals organizations, has logged 138 minor league appearances since his professional debut in 2017. After reaching Triple-A for the first time in 2025, he again became eligible for minor-league free agency. He elected to test the market—and Texas has now officially lost him.
According to the transaction log on his MLB roster page, Carrillo has signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The deal was completed on Friday but only appeared publicly on the transaction log earlier this week.
Carrillo put together a strong 2025 season, posting a 3.88 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 48⅔ innings over 42 appearances. He isn’t expected to make Arizona’s major-league roster immediately, but the Diamondbacks—desperately needing pitching depth—view him as reinforcement both for their bullpen and Triple-A squad.
One concern remains Carrillo’s walk rate, which has historically hovered around half a batter per inning. While he made slight improvements this season, reducing free passes will be essential if he hopes to compete against MLB hitters.
During the offseason, teams unable or unwilling to spend hundreds of millions for stars like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette often hunt for under-the-radar contributors. Time will tell whether Carrillo becomes one of those hidden gems for Arizona.
