Dodgers Rumors: Pitching trade targets the Dodgers should consider
By Jason Reed
Jason Vargas
John Buhler over at FanSided stresses the importance of the Dodgers acquiring southpaw Jason Vargas, and quite frankly, he could not have been any more correct. Jason Vargas, a Southern California product of Apple Valley, would fit perfectly into this Dodgers rotation. With Rick Honeycutt leading the way in a pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, Vargas would be fantastic.
Not to say that Vargas has not already been fantastic, as 2017 has served as a revitalizing year for his career. Vargas has only pitched in 12 games the last two seasons combined due to various injuries, thus far in 2017 he has matched that mark and has looked as good as he ever has.
Through 12 games this season Vargas has posted a 2.18 ERA, striking out 59 batters in 74.1 innings. Vargas has never posted an ERA below 3.50 and now has the second lowest ERA in the entire MLB. Sure, the sample size is not necessarily huge, but when watching Vargas you can sense the leaps and bounds he has taken.
The great part for the Kansas City Royals is they are entering rebuild mode. 2017 is the last year on Vargas’ contract, meaning the Royals can sell off only one season of production for a big return.
Vargas’ value has never been this high and it seems borderline absurd for the Royals not to deal him. With the Dodgers depth in the rotation and the farm, they may be the best suitors for a Jason Vargas deal.