After weeks of speculation and rumors, the Phillies finally added a starting pitcher, although it wasn’t one they were linked to. The team announced that they acquired Jason Vargas and cash from the Mets in exchange for Double-A catcher Austin Bossart.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the Mets will send $2.9 million to Philadelphia as part of the deal, paying the rest of his salary for the year. On the tail end, it will be up to the Phillies to pay Vargas’s $8 million club option for 2020 or buy him out for $2 million.