NEW YORK (AP) A person familiar with the negotiations says the New York Mets are close to a trade to send left-hander Jason Vargas to the Philadelphia Phillies for Double-A catcher Austin Bossart.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the trade had not yet been announced.
A 36-year-old left-hander, Vargas is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA, winning his last three starts. He became expendable when the Mets acquired right-hander Marcus Stroman from Toronto on Sunday night for a pair of pitching prospects.
Vargas said after beating Pittsburgh on Sunday that he did not expect to be traded. He is owed $2,666,667 of his $8 million salary for the remainder of this season, and his contract includes an $8 million club option for 2020 with a $2 million buyout.
The 26-year-old Bossart is hitting .195 with seven homers and 28 RBIs at Reading of the Eastern League. He was a 14th-round pick in the 2015 amateur draft from the University of Pennsylvania.
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