The New York Mets are reportedly angry with Jason Vargas and how he’s handled himself regarding last Sunday’s clubhouse incident.
Last Sunday was basically the New York Mets 2019 season in a nutshell. After Tim Healey of Newsday told manager Mickey Callaway “see you tomorrow” in the clubhouse at Wrigley Field, Callaway lost it.
He ultimately believed Healey was acting like an antagonist. Callaway proceeded to ask the public relations staff to remove him from the clubhouse.
Mets left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas then threated the knock Healey out, due to the fact that he didn’t like the way Healey was looking at him. Multiple Mets thus restrained Vargas from actually making any physical contact.
Since the incident occurred, Callaway has made it known that he’s apologized to Healey. However, Vargas hasn’t.
The veteran pitcher described the incident as “unfortunate” when asked about it on Monday. He then got another chance to apologize on Wednesday, in which he didn’t do so again.
“I don’t think all the information is really out there,” Vargas said after the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. “I don’t think this is the time to get into that. But I think that anybody that knows me or played with me through the duration of my career, there’s never been a situation like that. So to think that it just happened out of the blue would be foolish.
“The organization put out a statement. For that information to be out there like that, for only one side to be told, that’s just not it.”
Now, according to Wallace Matthews of Yahoo! Sports, a Mets official has given some intel on the organization. Apparently, the team is angry with Vargas on how he’s handled himself regarding the incident.
“We’re all angry with him,” the Mets official said on Thursday. “Think he’ll be here next year?”
When it comes to the possibility of becoming part of a trade prior to the July 31 deadline, the official added: “this did not help him.”
In 13 starts in 2019, Vargas is 3-3 for New York with an ERA of 3.66.
The Mets fell to the Phillies 6-3 on Thursday after allowing five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. New York has now dropped five straight and sits at a record of 37-45.