In a move to bolster the back of their starting rotation, the Philadelphia Phillies made a deal with the New York Mets to acquire left-handed starting pitcher Jason Vargas. Vargas marks the first large move the Mets have made in terms of sending away talent, as they shockingly traded for Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman on Sunday.
For the Phillies, they now have a good problem on their hands of having too many starting-caliber pitchers to choose from, and they now can add their second lefty to the starting rotation to pair with recent acquisition Drew Smyly.
In return, the Mets received Double-A catcher Austin Bossart, who was not ranked in the Phillies’ top 30 in their system. The team already has three catchers in their top 20, so dealing from depth is a great way to build at the trade deadline.
As a little carrot of information, Bossart actually was teammates and friends with Bradley Wilpon, who just so happens to be the son of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. Whether or not that long-standing relationship had anything to do with the deal is unknown, but with how the Mets seem to handle business, it almost seems too likely to not be in the cards.
Vargas’ role is currently unknown, but he should become a backend starter for this team. Vincent Velazquez has become a more steady pitcher lately, while Zach Eflin has been struggling as of his past starts. So, a change may result in having Eflin be switched to the bullpen for the stretch run.
While this is not a big-time needle mover, the Phillies are doing exactly what they can to make sure they are in contention, both in the National League East and in the NL Wild Card race. The Mets, on the other hand, seem to have no clue as to how to handle the deadline, so their compass of direction is pointing every which way but toward progress.
Follow Us
Subscribe