Kansas City Royals: Potential trade deadline candidates
By Phil Akre
Jason Vargas
After years of being an average starter, lefty Jason Vargas has revived his career at the age of 34.
His 2.10 ERA isn’t the result of a lot strikeouts, as the left-hander only has 65 through 81.1 innings. Instead, Vargas has relied on his solid control and an excellent WHIP of 1.094.
In what no one would have guessed, Vargas has also become the clear-cut ace of this year’s trade deadline. In a market that should include Jose Quintana and Gerrit Cole, Vargas will be one of the most sought after arms, too.
It will be interesting to see what Vargas will net in return if traded. The Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman and Chris Sale trades are all examples of just how valuable pitching is considered in today’s MLB.
Vargas, an average pitcher for the majority of his career, could suddenly net the Royals a significant return.
Perhaps something along the lines of a team’s top prospect and two lower-level ones would do the trick for the 34-year-old ace.