PHILADELPHIA _ The Phillies will try to plug their thinned starting rotation with another veteran lefthander as they acquired Jason Vargas on Monday afternoon in a trade with the Mets.
The 36-year-old Vargas has a 4.01 ERA in 19 games with the Mets, a mark that was ballooned by three rough appearances at the start of the season. He has a 3.27 ERA in his last 16 starts, a stretch that started in the middle of April.
The trade, which was first reported by ESPN, did not come at a high cost as the Phillies moved double-A catcher Austin Bossart to the Mets. Bossart, a 26-year-old Penn product, was hitting .195 with double-A Reading.
The Phillies did not address their starting rotation this winter as they bulked up their roster. It soon became obvious that they would have to add upgrades. And their moves _ trading for Vargas and signing Drew Smyly _ both come with little risk and no commitments past this season. Vargas has a team option for 2020. Smyly will be a free agent.
The Phillies will now have to decide how Vargas fits into the rotation, which likely means that either Vince Velasquez or Zach Eflin will be shuffled out to make room. Velasquez has already pitched in the bullpen this season, but he pitched well in his last start. Eflin was roughed up on Saturday and has a 10.46 ERA in his last six starts. One of them will be bumped for Vargas.
