The New York Mets have traded pitcher Jason Vargas to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league catcher Austin Bossart.
The 36-year old southpaw joined the Mets as a free agent in 2018. In 2017, while with the Kansas City Royals, Vargas had led the AL in wins with 18 and earned his very first All-Star Team selection. During his tenure with the Mets, Vargas was a combined 13-15 with a 5.26 ERA in 41 appearances (40 of them starts). In 2019, Vargas was 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA. Since June, Vargas had won five of his last seven decisions including wins in his last three starts.
Vargas' recent effectiveness was somewhat overshadowed by an incident where he and Mets manager Mickey Callaway had words with Newsday reporter Tim Healey with Vargas threatening bodily harm against Healey. Vargas reportedly told Healey, "I'll knock you the fuck out, bro." The Mets subsequently fined both Vargas and Callaway $10,000 apiece for their behavior. While Callaway publicly apologized for his behavior, Vargas was defiant and was rebuked by Mets broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez for not doing so.
So while Vargas will add depth to the Phillies starting rotation, I don't think he will do the same for the Phillies clubhouse. The Mets and Phillies will meet six more times this season in late August and early September.
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