Reliever Henry Owens can bring it near 100 mph. But, he’ll be doing it with the Florida Marlins. The Mets traded the fireballing prospect along with Matt Lindstrom to Florida for lefthanded pitchers Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick, both 23.
Vargas began last season in the Marlins’ rotation but ended up in the bullpen. He was 1-1 with a 5.70 in five starts and went 0-1 with a 9.31 ERA out of the pen. Bostick split last season between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s got an arm, striking out 109 in 115 innings at Double-A and 30 strikeouts in 27 innings at Triple-A.
Owens is 26 and appeared in four games with the Mets last season.
6 Comments
hmmm…. i know 2 for 1 usually can be a good thing but with all the problems we have with pitching I am unsure how to see this.
I don’t have an issue with this trade. Owens throws hard, but 100 mph is not effective in the majors if it’s straight (and his FB is very straight from what I’ve seen). Maybe he works it out, maybe he doesn’t, but Vargas has potential, and Bostick could has some serious talent.
Steve C …
It’s hard to say what this deal means in the long term, but in the short term Vargas is more likely to have an input with the Mets than Owens.
Anon …
Owens is a prospect because he throws hard, but Bostick’s strikeouts-to-innings pitched ratio puts him in the same category. Maybe that’s a wash.
Since the Mets are looking for pitching and Vargas has big league experience, that has to be a plus for the trade. It’s not like Owens was going to do anything for them next year anyways.
To Brian …
I didn’t expect to see Owens have an impact next year. Vargas should help them more in the short run.