Phillies Add Lefty Starter Vargas in Trade With Mets

The Phillies have made their first significant trade as they approach the July 31st trade deadline.

No, the Phillies did not land one of the bigger names.  There is no Zach Greinke, no Robbie Ray.  There is no Matthew Boyd or Madison Bumgarner.  Instead, the Phillies have made a trade with the division-rival New York Mets for starter Jason Vargas.

The left-handed Vargas is 6-5 with a 4.01 earned run average in 19 games for the Mets, including 18 starts.  The veteran Vargas is is 36 years old and is 98-95 in his Major League career, spanning five teams and 14 seasons.  Vargas debuted with the Florida Marlins in 2005.

Andy Martino (formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer) of SNY first reported that a trade was close.  Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Vargas was headed to the Phillies.  The Phillies will also receive cash considerations from the Mets, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.  Finally, the return in the trade was reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

That return, Sherman notes, is Double-A Reading catcher Austin Bossart.  

The Phillies drafted Bossart out of the University of Pennsylvania in the 14th round in the 2015 draft.   Bossart is batting .195 for the Fightin' Phils in an even 200 at bats.  Bossart was not among the top 30 Phillies prospects on MLB Pipeline.  

The Phillies have three catchers on that Top 30 list, so there is depth at the position.

The Phillies did not give up too much for this trade, so it is unclear what the club's overall position is.  The Mets, who just added Marcus Stroman, had an extra starter for now, though the club could move Noah Syndergaard or Zach Wheeler.  The Phillies could be taking advantage of a low-cost opportunity independent of whether or not they make other moves.

The Phillies have until Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. to make another trade prior to the deadline.