Brodie Van Wagenen and the New York Mets reportedly hesitated on Gio Gonzalez. It is part of the reason he chose the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jason Vargas it is. The moment Gio Gonzalez decided to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday was the exact moment Vargas remained the New York Mets No. 5 man in the rotation.
Why? How could such a seemingly tidy fit go awry?
According to Andy Martino of SNY, Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets decided against the veteran southpaw purely for baseball reasons. They don’t believe he’s a “meaningful upgrade” over Vargas.
Gonzalez, 33, was cut loose by the New York Yankees after they failed to promote him from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last weekend. In 2018, he pitched to a 4.21 ERA and 1.444 WHIP while striking out 148 batters in 171 total innings pitched with the Washington Nationals and aforementioned Brewers.
Vargas, 36, comes to the 2019 baseball party with a 9.58 ERA and 2.323 WHIP over three starts. To describe his season as a “struggle” would incite massive disrespect to the definition of the word itself. He’s fit right in with the rest of the struggling rotation to begin the new campaign.
The decision has much of Mets fandom irate. Gonzalez, while imperfect, has pitched to a clearly greater degree than the way Vargas is currently going.
The New York Mets, coming off a 9-0 thrashing of the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, turn around with the man himself, Jason Vargas, on Wednesday night in Flushing. First pitch comes your way at 7:10 p.m. ET and can be seen on SNY and ESPN (out-of-market only).