The New York Mets have acquired Austin Bossart from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for starting pitcher Jason Vargas. The Mets traded Vargas one day after trading for another starting pitcher — Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays.
We’ve acquired minor league catcher Austin Bossart from Philadelphia in exchange for LHP Jason Vargas and cash considerations. #Mets
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 29, 2019
New York Mets Acquire Austin Bossart
Scouting Report on Bossart
Bossart is a 26-year-old catcher out of Abilene, Texas. He is known as a defensive backstop who has not shown anything offensively to suggest that he can be an everyday player. As a result, Bossart projects as a backup catcher.
New York Connection
Coming from Philadelphia to New York reunites Bossart with a familiar name. He was a former Penn teammate of Bradley Wilpon, who is the son of Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon.
College Career
Bossart played three seasons in the Ivy League as a member of the Pennsylvania Quakers. In his college career, he batted .319, slugged 18 home runs, and drove in 112 runs. The Phillies selected Bossart in the 14th round of the 2015 MLB draft.
Career Minor Leaguer
Bossart has played the past five seasons throughout the Phillies minor league system. This season he has been playing at Double-A Reading. Bossart is currently batting .195 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. For his minor league career with the Phillies, he is batting .261 with 18 home runs and 112 RBI.
Mets Outlook
Even though trading Vargas saved New York $2 million in payroll, there are still many questions on what the Mets ultimate plans are. The Mets are currently six games out of a wild card spot. More importantly, there are six teams ahead of them. New York seems to be undecided on what direction to go in.
With pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Edwin Diaz all on the trading block, it appears the Mets are selling. Or, maybe the Mets are just testing the waters.
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