Why the Diamondbacks traded for Carlos Vargas
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As part of a series of roster moves made at the deadline to protect minor league players from the Rule 5 Draft, the Diamondbacks traded for RHP Carlos Vargas from the Cleveland Guardians. Vargas was added to the Guardians' 40-man roster last off-season, but after missing most of the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery was caught in a roster crunch. The D-backs decided to take advantage of the situation, picking up the young fireballer in exchange for pitching prospect Ross Carver.
After returning from surgery, Vargas pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Guardians' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He pitched 34.1 innings in 27 appearances, with 37 strikeouts, 17 walks, and a 3.67 ERA. That included a dominant stretch in Triple-A where he struck out 16, walked five, and allowed just one run in 10 innings. The latter stretch of dominance is what likely attracted the D-backs as one of the players to pursue as teams are looking to cut players on the 40-man roster.
In terms of where Vargas places in the Top 30 prospect list, he'll slide in at the No. 21 spot and replace Carver. The main carrying tools for Vargas are a fastball that sits in the upper 90s that can touch 100 MPH and a swing-and-miss slider that's been clocked at 93 MPH. The two plus offerings tunnel well off each other, allowing him to fool hitters on the slider. Out of the bullpen he can focus on just those two pitches and worry less about his changeup, which significantly lags behind his other pitches. As is the case with young flamethrowers coming off major surgery, location and commanding the ball are an issue.
The D-backs are looking to add more power to the bullpen and find pitchers who can miss bats. Last year's bullpen gave up too many balls put into play, which became a problem when they found themselves in jams. By adding power arms such as Vargas and Justin Martinez, they're hoping to find guys who can step up and become a shutdown pitcher in the back-end of the bullpen.
