Jason Vargas is headed across the National League East.
The Mets dealt pitcher Jason Vargas to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday afternoon. SNY’s Andy Martino was the first to report the news that Vargas was traded, while ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported Philadelphia as the destination.
In exchange for Vargas, the Mets are getting Double-A catching prospect Austin Bossart, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.
Vargas, 36, entered Monday with a 6-5 record in 18 starts this season. He holds an ERA of 4.01, a WHIP of 1.27 and an FIP of 4.71 as of Monday afternoon.
Vargas’ most (in)famous moment as a Met came in an incident with Newsday’s Tim Healey when he threatened to “knock (him) the f--- out, bro” in the clubhouse earlier this season.
“I don’t think all the information is out there,” Vargas said at the time, not apologizing for his involvement in the incident. “I don’t think this is a time to get into that, but I think anybody that knows me or has played with me through the duration of my career, there has never been a situation like that, so think it just happened out of the blue would be foolish.”
Coincidentally, that press conference took place before he faced the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, his new home.
The trade comes a day after the Mets acquired ace Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays. The Vargas trade should not affect the Mets’ status as sellers, however. According to Martino, “(Zack) Wheeler, (Noah) Syndergaard, (Edwin) Diaz are all on the table.”
Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @briannnnf. Find NJ.com on Facebook.