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Mets strike two-year, $16 million deal with left-hander Jason Vargas
By JT. Teran
The Mets have added some much needed starting pitching depth to their roster with a veteran lefty.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Mets and left-hander Jason Vargas have agreed on terms pending the passing of his physical.
Sources: Mets and Jason Vargas have a deal pending physical
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 16, 2018
The Mets had been rumored to be looking at acquiring another starting pitcher. However, after Jaime Garcia signed an $8 million deal with the Blue Jays, it became apparent most starters would be too expensive for the stingy ownership in Queens.
Vargas was rumored to be in talks with the Mets on Thursday, and apparently things progressed quite quickly.
MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo is reporting the deal is not only for 2018, but will include a guaranteed 2019 season and a club option for 2020.
Jason Vargas' contract is two years, $16 million with a club option for 2020, according to a source. @JonHeyman, who first reported the signing, says he can earn an additional $1.5 million per season based on innings.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 16, 2018
Vargas isn’t going to blow anyone out of the water, but will hopefully give the Mets some much needed stability in terms of starts and pitching consistency. His 4.16 ERA may not look amazing on paper, but the fact that he made 32 starts and threw 179 2/3 innings in a crazy AL Central should make a compelling argument for his signing.
Obviously as Mets fans we would prefer to have a guy like Jake Arrieta or a Lance Lynn even, but at least we got something with Vargas.
New Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland will also be reunited with Vargas after the two were on the Kansas City Royals for the past few years.
This will be the second time Vargas joins the Mets after a quick cup of coffee 11 years ago where he saw action in only two starts.
The 35-year-old Vargas will be reporting to camp a little later than his other starters, but with about a week between now and the start of Spring Training, hopefully he’s ready to get rolling.
Vargas will likely slot near the back of the rotation for this team. If Matt Harvey really has anything left in the tank he’ll likely be the third starter after Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. That only leaves Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler as competition to see whether Vargas ends up as a 4 or 5 guy.
Next: Mets could promote Tebow to Double-A
There’s also a possibility that all six of those guys pitching consecutively too. Manager Mickey Callaway has talked about liking the idea of a six-man rotation to keep guys fresh. If everyone is healthy and pitching well, we could see that at some point this season.