During the off-season we’ll be taking a closer look at some potential free agent targets for the Toronto Blue Jays. Today it’s Jason Vargas.
Check out our other free agent fits:
Brandon Morrow
Eduardo Nunez
Neil Walker
Jay Bruce
Alex Cobb
Tony Watson
Lance Lynn
Player: Jason Vargas | Age: 34 | Position: SP | Throws: Left
2017 stats: 32 GS | IP 179.2 | ERA 4.16 | FIP 4.67 | WHIP: 1.330 | K/9: 6.7
MLB Trade Rumours Signing Prediction
One year, $10 million, Orioles.
Why he’s a potential fit for the Blue Jays
Vargas is, for the most part, a bottom-of-the-rotation starter. He’s certainly not the type of “impact arm” general manager Ross Atkins is searching for this winter. However, if the Blue Jays come up short in their starting pitcher pursuits, Vargas could possibly become an option to fill the No. 5 spot.
The soft-throwing left-hander is coming off his first full season following Tommy John surgery and looked durable, accounting for 32 starts and 179.2 innings for the Royals. For what it’s worth, his 18 wins tied with Indians duo Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco to lead the AL.
Vargas makes a living with an above-average changeup, which generated a 20.71 per cent whiff percentage in 2017. For comparison’s sake, Toronto’s resident changeup artist Marco Estrada produced a 19.90 rate with the pitch this past season.
There are better starters on the free agent market, but the likelihood that Vargas, who turns 35 in February, won’t be able to command a multi-year deal makes him a somewhat attractive fall-back option.
Why he might not be a fit for the Blue Jays
Vargas was a dominant pitcher in the first half of 2017, producing a 2.62 ERA and .244 opponents’ batting average en route to a first career all-star berth.
Then his season turned around in horrifying fashion, severely tanking his earning potential.
| VARGAS IN 2017 | INNINGS | ERA | OPPONENTS’ OPS | BB/9 | HR/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Half | 106.1 | 2.62 | 0.664 | 2.12 | 0.93 |
| 2nd Half | 73.1 | 6.38 | 0.904 | 4.05 | 1.96 |
Vargas seemed to simply run out of gas, which is understandable considering he pitched just 32 total innings in 2016. “That’s going to take a little bit of a toll on anybody,” said Royals manager Ned Yost in September. “He still continues to go out and compete.”
It’s entirely possible Vargas rebounds from that second half, but the Blue Jays might be looking for a little more certainty in a free agent rotation add, especially given Aaron Sanchez’s blister issues and Joe Biagini’s struggles as a starter.
The latest Jason Vargas buzz
MLB Trade Rumors pegged the Orioles as the club that would sign Vargas, and so far, the prediction looks promising. Baltimore desperately needs to fill out a rotation that currently features just two bonafide starters and has “definite interest” in Vargas, as well as right-hander Andrew Cashner, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
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