Former New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, now with the Cincinnati Reds, could be making his way back to the National League East this season with one of the Mets’ biggest rivals. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Atlanta Braves have been the most aggressive pursuer of the right-hander with the trade deadline just hours away.
The Braves are in need of starting pitching help to bolster the rotation behind Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz. Atlanta was believed to be interested in Harvey’s former teammate, Mets starter Zack Wheeler, though it is believed that New York will not move any of its starting pitchers on Tuesday.
Harvey has performed significantly better with the Reds after being traded by the Mets on May 8 for Devin Mesoraco, who could also be dealt before Major League Baseball’s Jul. 31 deadline.
After starting the year 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA, the 29-year-old is 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA in Cincinnati as he attempts to resurrect his career.
The May deal that sent Harvey out of New York was an unceremonious end to what was once such a promising career with the Mets. After electrifying the league upon his MLB debut in 2012, Harvey was named the National League’s starter in the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field during a season in which he went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA.
Things were cut horrifically short when the injury bug began to take its toll on Harvey. A litany of injuries, which included him undergoing Tommy John surgery and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery, forced Harvey to basically re-learn how to pitch on the fly.
With superagent Scott Boras championing for him, though, the brash Harvey was continuously at odds with Mets management for years whether it came to pitch count, innings limits or possible demotions to the minors, which led to him being traded in 2018.
The Braves sit just a half game behind the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies as the calendar turns to August. They’ll play the Mets seven more times before the end of the regular season, all of which will be at Citi Field.
Should Atlanta pull off a deal for him, there’s a good chance he could take the hill against his former team, whose season is over already, for a contender.
