The Phillies have declined the 2020 options for starting pitcher Jason Vargas and relief pitcher Jared Hughes.
The Phillies acquired Vargas two days before the July 31 trade deadline in exchange for minor league catcher Austin Bossart. This was after the team heavily overestimated both its major league talent and organizational depth in the rotation.
In 11 starts with the team, Vargas went 1-4 with a 5.37 ERA. He was often ineffective and at the price of $8 million, it didn’t make sense for the team to bring him back in 2020.
Hughes was acquired in mid-August via waiver claim after injuries devastated much of the Phillies bullpen.