Royals ink LHP Jason Vargas for 4-years/$32MM
The Kansas City Royals have signed left-handed starting pitcher Jason Vargas to a four-year deal, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
The deal is said to be for $32 million over that span.
Vargas went 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA last year for the Los Angeles Angels after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners that sent first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales to the Northwest.
The 30-year-old Vargas sports a career ERA of 4.30, but hasn’t been above that mark since 2009 when he posted a 4.91 with the Mariners.
A common knock on Vargas is his inability to pitch well on the road. Over the course of his MLB existence, Vargas has put up a 5.17 ERA away and a 3.46 at home.
Vargas was limited to 24 games in 2013 due to a blood clot in his armpit that had to be surgically removed on June 26th, so his sample size from this season is a bit skewed, but still decent numbers for a back-end starter.
After spending a majority of his career at notorious pitcher’s park Safeco Field, Vargas has given up 48 HRs at home compared to 77 on the road in a virtually identical number of starts; 76 at home, 79 on the road.
Still, Vargas was one of the most intriguing pitching prospects out there in this year’s free agency class, but a bit of a risk.
Time will tell if this is a bargain or bust for the Royals.