The Philadelphia Phillies declined their 2020 option on starting pitcher Jason Vargas and will instead pay him a $2 million buyout to make him a free agent. The team also declined the options for relief pitchers Jared Hughes and Pat Neshek. Vargas went 7-9 with a 4.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings in 29 starts and one relief outing for the Mets and Phillies in 2019. He made 18 starts with the Mets and 11 with Philly. He was less effective with the Phils, posting a 5.37 ERA later in the season. The soft-tossing left-hander doesn't have much left in his career and isn't a guarantee to land a starting gig on the open market.
Jason Vargas Only Lasts Three Innings Against Boston
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jason Vargas allowed five runs, four earned, in three innings pitched against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon. Vargas made a throwing error in the first to set up a run before the big blow came in the third inning when he served up a grand slam to Christian Vazquez. Vargas had traffic all over the bases allowing three hits, a walk, and two hit batsmen while only lasting three innings for the second straight start. Vargas has not posted a quality start since August 13 and faces a tough test next Saturday at Cleveland. Vargas can be safely left on waivers in all formats.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jason Vargas allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a no-decision vs the Reds Thursday. Vargas only allowed four hits without walking a batter and struck out six to put up a solid line for fantasy owners. Vargas got off to a nice start after being acquired by the Phillies but had given up nine runs over 10 innings in his last two starts. Vargas lowers his ERA to 4.27 but a 5.50 xFIP and only an 18 percent strikeout rate limit his fantasy appeal. He's not a recommended option in his next start against the Braves.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jason Vargas will have his scheduled start moved from Sunday to Saturday against the New York Mets. Aaron Nola will start on Friday, while Zach Eflin gets the finale on Sunday. This is a big series for the Phillies against the Mets, so they want to get the right matchups from their rotation. Vargas has been decent lately, but it's hard to trust him against the Mets offense that has been hot.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jason Vargas allowed two runs in six innings while taking a no-decision Tuesday vs the Cubs. Vargas allowed five hits and three walks while only striking out one. This was his second quality start in three tries with his new team and lowers his ERA to 4.03. Vargas has been good lately, only allowing more than three runs in one of six starts since July 12, but his lack of strikeouts severely limits his fantasy upside. Vargas has a strikeout rate under 20 percent and his 5.30 xFIP suggests he has been a little lucky as well. He's a decent streamer in deep leagues or NL-Only, but doesn't need to be rostered in standard mixed leagues.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jason Vargas will start for his new team Friday night vs the White Sox. Vargas couldn't ask for a better matchup to start his Phillies tenure as the White Sox have the worst team wOBA since the All-Star break. The matchup makes him an interesting deep league streamer, but Vargas is not mixed league relevant in fantasy. His 5.22xFIP is well over a run higher than his ERA and he only gets strikeouts at a 20.3 percent rate.
New York Mets starting pitcher Jason Vargas has been traded to the Phillies according to Jeff Passan. The Phillies are also receiving cash considerations while the Mets receive Double-A catcher Austin Bossart. Adding Vargas improves the Phillies rotation depth, but fantasy owners may not want to follow suit. Vargas' 4.01 ERA looks decent on paper, but he's also sporting a 5.22 xFIP while being the beneficiary of a BABIP and strand rate that is better than league average. Vargas' 42.9 percent fly-ball rate also won't do him any favors pitching in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have not announced who will give up a rotation spot for Vargas but Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin are the likely candidates unless of course, Jake Arrieta needs to go on the injured list due to the elbow injury he's been struggling with.
The New York Mets picked up another victory Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres behind the strong performance of Jason Vargas. In the midst of his second season with the Mets, Vargas fired six shutout innings, allowing just one hit to go with four walks. He struck out eight and tossed 99 pitches in his performance, picking up his fifth win of the year. Outside of his six-run performance against the Marlins two starts ago, the 36-year-old has been pitching much better as of late, coming off posting a 2.70 ERA in five starts last month.
New York Mets left-hander Jason Vargas earned the win on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins and added a quality start in the process. Vargas went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits to go along with four strikeouts. Coming into the game, this was seen as a dreadful matchup for the soft-tossing southpaw. However, he found a way to limit one of the league's most feared offenses. Vargas, despite poor advanced statistics, has found a way to keep most teams off the board in 2019. He remains a streaming option in favorable matchups. His next start will be Tuesday against the San Diego Padres.
New York Mets left-hander Jason Vargas struggled on Friday in a loss to the Miami Marlins. After cruising through the first two innings, Vargas ran into trouble in the third and sixth innings, as he allowed six earned runs on five hits through five-plus innings on the night. He dropped to 3-5 with a 4.23 ERA in the process. This loss snapped a stretch in which Vargas was perhaps the most consistent starting pitcher on the struggling Mets. It's possible he did enough to earn himself some trade looks by the deadline, but Vargas is scheduled to take the mound again in a Mets uniform next week against the San Francisco Giants.
