Jason Vargas: 18-11, 4.16 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 134/58 K/BB, 179.2 innings
Two years, $16 million
The Mets' rotation was plagued by injuries and inconsistency last season, with Noah Syndergaard (just seven starts), Matt Harvey (5-7, 6.70 ERA), Steven Matz (2-7, 6.08 ERA), and Robert Gsellman (8-7, 5.19 ERA) all failing to live up to expectations (in Syndergaard's case, through no fault of his own). Bringing in veteran Jason Vargas, who missed time to injuries in 2015 and 2016 but who has otherwise made at least 24 starts six times since 2010. Right now, the Mets' rotation has plenty of depth, but few sure things beyond Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. Vargas will likely grab the third spot, and with Matt Harvey seemingly having the inside track to the fourth spot given his track record, that leaves a lot of competition for spot number five. Matz, Gsellman, Seth Lugo, and Zack Wheeler all have starting experience in the majors, as does Chris Flexen (though he's less likely to get a spot). Vargas is coming off a solid season, going 18-11 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP over 32 starts. While I don't particularly care about his 18 wins, the fact that he made 32 starts was a good sign and his 17.7% strikeout rate was the highest full-season mark of his career. Though typically more of a fly ball pitcher, he was also able to just barely set a career full-season high with a 40.3% ground ball rate (just above his 40.2% rates in both 2012 and 2013). This isn't a top of the rotation pitcher, but it is a bit of consistency in a Mets rotation that badly needs it. For his career, the former LSU Tiger and Long Beach State Dirtbag is 85-81 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP over 248 games (228 starts) since 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment