The New York Mets have opted not to pursue a six man rotation at this point, which makes sense with their goal of maximizing Jacob deGrom’s starts in an effort to help him try and win a Cy Young Award. That meant either Jason Vargas or Corey Oswalt was going to draw the short straw and get demoted to the bullpen. On results alone, the choice would be clear as Oswalt (2-1, 4.26 ERA since July 1st) has been far more effective than Vargas (0-2, 6.89 ERA since July 1st). Money appears to have spoken, however, as Vargas will remain in the rotation while Oswalt drew the short straw and will move to the bullpen.
Vargas, who signed a two year contract with the Mets in February, is owed $8 million next season so he will get an opportunity to start every five days to try and earn that money. That is certainly not warranted on merit, as Vargas has been one of the Mets’ worst free agent signings in recent memory, going 2-8 with an 8.10 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 53.1 innings pitched. The Mets appear to simply hope that giving Vargas the ball every fifth day will help him end the year on a positive note, helping him potentially contribute to the rotation as the fifth starter next season.
The Mets’ decision to stick with Vargas has come at the expense of Oswalt, who has flashed some promise over the past month or two. Oswalt doesn’t have top of the rotation upside, but he has shown an ability to get big league hitters out with his command, potentially giving him a home as a fourth or fifth starter. Vargas has been unable to do that against pretty much anyone outside of the Baltimore Orioles, looking far more like the dreadful pitcher he was in the second half of 2017 (6-8, 6.38 ERA in 15 starts) than the All Star performer of the first half (12-3, 2.62 ERA). This is nothing new for the Mets, who have far too often given meaningful innings or at bats to over the hill veterans instead of young players who could have a role on the team in the future.
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