The Philadelphia Phillies took a small step towards bolstering their rotation for the stretch run by trading for New York Mets starter Jason Vargas on Monday.
The Phillies sent over Austin Bossart in exchange for the 36-year-old Vargas, who is expected to slot into the Philadelphia rotation immediately.
Soft-Tossing Vargas Solid, Not Spectacular
Vargas is a erstwhile All-Star who has have a generally unanimous vocation. He have struggled with the Mets in 2018, posting a 5.77 earned run average in 20 starts, and get under one’s skin off to a similarly unsatisfying beginning in 2019.
But the lefty has turned that around as the season has gone on. He has allowed three earned runs or less in 15 of his last 16 starts, posting 6-5 record and a respectable 4.01 ERA on the year for New York.
“Jason Vargas is battle-tested and has been relatively effective for the better part of a decade now,” Philadelphia general manager Matt Klentak told reporters. “He gives his team a chance to win the game every time he takes the ball.”
Klentak also noted that Vargas adds some variety to how the Phillies can attack opposing lineups.
“He’s a soft-tossing lefty,” Klentak said. “We have a lot of hard-throwing righties. He’s a good complement to our pitching staff.”
At 55-50, the Phillies have managed to stay in the thick of the NL Wild Card race – not to mention, just six games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East – despite the fact that their starting rotation has dramatically underperformed this season. While Aaron Nola (9-2, 3.72 ERA) has been good, others like Jake Arrieta (8-8, 4.51) and Zach Eflin (7-11, 4.63) have failed to perform up to expectations.
That is convinced the front bureau to contribute novel rip in. Vargas could represent a stabilising military force, and the recently acquired Drew Smyly search honest in his beginning beginning for Philadelphia on July 21, set asiding just one political campaign in six frames of employment.
Phillies In the Hunt, But Not Favored
The modest but helpful moves made by the Phillies come as the team looks to have a chance to make a playoff run, but has no illusions of being a leading World Series contender. Philadelphia is a 32/1 pick to win the World Series at FanDuel Sportsbook, making them only the 12th pick on the board, far behind NL rivals like the Los Angeles Dodgers (+280) and the Atlanta Braves (11/1).
In counter for Vargas, the Mets clean up underage conference backstop Austin Bossart. The 26-year-old is collide withing just .195 in Double-A, but is considered a positive guardian. It is potential New York is willingness to have a hazard on Bossart stems from the fact that he meet college baseball game at Penn alongside Bradley Wilpon – the Word of Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon.
The move also muddies the water in terms of what the Mets are trying to accomplish at the trade deadline. The deal for Marcus Stroman was certainly a buy, while Vargas is the type of move that would be expected of a team that is largely out of playoff contention and positioning itself as a seller.
“I fully expect the Astros to get under one’s skin Wheeler ” – Rival GM to @ martinonyc hypertext transfer protocol: //t.co/6ETLhmAjq8 pic.twitter.com/1JkbanSC0c
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 30, 2019
There are still other Mets assets on the board as well, though it is unclear if any of them will move by the 4 pm deadline on Wednesday. Those could include starter Zack Wheeler – who some GMs appear to think is headed to the Houston Astros – Noah Syndergaard, and closer Edwin Diaz, all of whom may be available for the right price.