Phillies Loses Top Starting Pitcher on Trade with Rivals

Right-handed pitcher Mike Vasil is poised for his next Major League Baseball opportunity with the Tampa Bay Rays after the team acquired him in a trade on Wednesday. Vasil was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft from the New York Mets, who are now seeking pitching options elsewhere. The trade also involves cash considerations sent to the Phillies, as reported by Rays Communications on X (formerly Twitter).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vasil, a former eighth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, spent last season with Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted an 8-10 record with a 6.04 ERA. The Mets haven’t ruled out a future pursuit of Vasil, who was once one of their top pitching prospects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns expressed the difficulty of losing players in the Rule 5 Draft: “You never want to lose pitchers or any player in a Rule 5 draft,” he said, per Alex Smith of SNY. “There’s a long way to go between having a player selected and actually losing the player.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s the reality of this, but look, those are two good pitchers. We knew certainly because of the unique circumstance with Nate and because of Vasil’s pedigree that these were possibilities. That’s all part of the roster management puzzle that we try to fit through.” He added, “We simultaneously wish them well and also hope to get them back.”

While the Mets opted not to protect Vasil to address other roster needs, they seem comfortable with his departure, intending to monitor his development from a distance in 2025.