The New York Mets bolstered their rotation Friday by signing southpaw Jason Vargas to a two-year, $16 million deal.
Earlier in the week, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he “wasn’t convinced” the team needed to bring in an external starting pitcher, but obviously, he had a change of heart.
While many fans were pining for Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb, this was a smart move for New York.
Personally, I wouldn’t have minded giving up a second round pick for either of the above, but I’m glad they were able to get an innings eater on a team-friendly contract without giving up international bonus pool money. They would have had to do so if they signed Lynn or Cobb.
Back in September, I also wrote a piece on Vargas being a sensible option for the Mets rotation, so needless to say, I am satisfied with this move.
The 35-year-old had a tale of two seasons for Kansas City in 2017, but at the end of the day, he finished the year off with an 18-11 record, a 4.16 ERA and was good for 3.8 WAR.
Most of his 2015 and 2016 seasons were wiped out due to Tommy John surgery, so his regression in the second half last year (6.38 ERA) makes sense.
But at the end of the day, his 32 starts would have been the most on the Mets last season.
Beyond what I’ve touched upon above, here’s why I like this move.
You Can’t Have Too Much Pitching
Zack Wheeler was upset to say the least that the Mets brought in Vargas as he looks to fight for a spot in the rotation.
However, Wheeler hasn’t exactly been a beacon of health in his tenure with New York, nor have several of their other pitchers.
This is why bringing in a guy like Vargas was necessary. Just Jacob deGrom managed to escape the injury bug in 2017. Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman all spent time on the disabled list last year.
Going into this season blindly with the same guys from last year who were marred by injury wouldn’t have been the savviest of moves.
I think of this move a lot like when the Mets brought in Bartolo Colon prior to the 2014 season on a two-year pact. Having that veteran, innings-eater type pitcher does wonders to lengthen your rotation. Additionally, he is coming off an 18 win campaign, I’ll take my chances to bringing him in.
Plus, if the Mets suffer a series of injuries again, at least they will now have someone to provide some stability.
Familiarity With Pitching Coach Dave Eiland
Vargas spent the last four seasons in Kansas City working under new Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland‘s tutelage.
Eiland worked closely with Vargas on his road to recovery from Tommy John surgery and was with him every step of the way, according to an article in the Kansas City Star from July.
This is where Eiland noticed his arm slot dropping down about two inches upon release and pinpointed that as a main reason why his changeup was so strong last year.
Having the presence of Eiland around will be good for all the pitchers, but especially for Vargas, who already knows him and trusts him.
Having a Second Lefty in the Rotation
Vargas is not like the Mets other starters. He’s not a flamethrower that relies on his fastball to blow guys away. In fact, his fastball last year was one of the slowest in baseball on average.
However, this could benefit the Mets. Sending Vargas to the mound after a team has had to face Noah Syndergaard Jacob deGrom or Matt Harvey in previous days will be an interesting change of pace because he’s a left-handed finesse pitcher.
Plus, I like having him in the rotation along with Steven Matz to give them that benefit of having more than one left-hander.
***
While Vargas isn’t an ace by any means, he is a nice piece for the Mets to have brought in and gives them a reliable guy to take the mound every fifth day.
Plus, next season when Matt Harvey ultimately leaves via free agency, they will have a pitcher to help soften the blow.
Anyway, as I touched upon on Twitter yesterday, I think the Mets did surprisingly well this offseason and could really put the cherry on top by bringing in one more reliever.
