3 recent Mets trade deadline deals that aged well, 3 getting worse each day

Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets / Sarah Stier/GettyImages
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NY Mets trade deadline deal that aged well: Jason Vargas to the Phillies

The pitching-needy Philadelphia Phillies turned to the Mets for help at the 2019 trade deadline. The Mets had a surplus of starters with the addition of Marcus Stroman. They managed to send double-agent Jason Vargas to Philly for Austin Bossart.

Bossart didn’t do much in the minors for the Mets. So why is this a Mets trade that has aged well?

Vargas actually was doing well for the 2019 Mets. He was 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA at the time of the deal. With the Phillies, Vargas completely imploded. He was his 2018 self again.

Vargas made 11 starts for the Phillies. He went 1-4 with a 5.37 ERA. Hoping they could make it to the postseason in the first year of Bryce Harper’s stay in the City of Brotherly Love, Vargas ended up as one of those players who underperformed and assisted in tanking the season.

The Mets and Phillies both came up short in 2019 as the Atlanta Braves took the division and the Washington Nationals stormed through the league in the final months to eventually win it all. The Mets guessed right that Stroman would be a better addition for their roster than keeping Vargas. It was a bonus for him to land with the Phillies and pitch as poorly as he did.