It’s been three days since the New York Mets officially designated pitcher Matt Harvey for assignment, giving the franchise a week to either trade him or place him on irrevocable waivers. Despite the 29-year-old’s struggles this year, there seems to be plenty of interest surrounding him.
Harvey was given the boot after refusing a demotion to the minor leagues, an attempted transaction that came after he was lifted from the starting rotation and placed into the bullpen in an attempt to rejuvenate his fledgling career.
The National League’s starting pitcher of the 2013 All-Star Game had an ERA of 7.00 this year, a demoralizing answer to a 2017 campaign that saw him post a 5-7 record with a 6.70 ERA.
With all the promise he once held before injuries and off-field issues derailed his career and relationship with the Mets, even general manager Sandy Alderson admitted that DFA’ing Harvey was a move that was “a long time coming.”
Still, a fresh start could prove beneficial for Harvey, who could still have a handful of solid years left in the tank should he stay healthy. Three teams currently see that kind of promise and are inquiring about a possible trade.
The Texas Rangers have “mild trade interest” in Harvey, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, which would provide a reunion with his former pitching coach in New York, Dan Warthen. Warthen is currently an assistant pitching coach with the Rangers, a team whose collective ERA is fourth-worst in the majors.
Andy Martino of SNY added that the Seattle Mariners are also piqued by Harvey’s availability. The Mariners’ starting rotation is in shambles at the moment as they have four “reliable” starting pitchers. Reliable is being put in quotes because three of those four arms have an ERA over 5.00, including ace Felix Hernandez, who is 4-3 with a 5.28 mark.
A third team with “heavy interest,” per Martino, is the San Francisco Giants, who just lost Johnny Cueto for six-to-eight weeks with a right elbow strain. It adds more stress to a rotation that is already without its ace Madison Bumgarner, who suffered a fracture to his non-pitching hand.
In order for a deal to be done, the Mets would likely have to eat a majority, if not all, of the $4.5 million owed to Harvey this season or else interest in the troubled pitcher will likely evaporate
