The Philadelphia Phillies have made an effort to upgrade their struggling starting rotation.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Phillies have acquired pitcher Jason Vargas from the New York Mets. The Mets also kicked in money, and received AA catcher Austin Bossart in return.
Jason Vargas has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2019
Source confirms the Mets' return for Jason Vargas is 26-year-old catcher Austin Bossart, who was hitting .195/.303/.335 at Double-A. A rival evaluator described him as a good defender without much offense to his game, as the numbers testify.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 29, 2019
#Mets also sending $$$ to #Phillies in Vargas deal, source says.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2019
Vargas isn’t a massive upgrade, but he will help. The left-hander has a 4.01 ERA this season, and has pitched to a 3.53 ERA since the start of May. That’s in stark contrast to the Phillies rotation, with Aaron Nola the only starter with an ERA under 4.
Vargas may ultimately be best remembered in New York for his infamous confrontation with a reporter. Hopefully, things will go better for him in Philadelphia.
