Matt Harvey’s tenure with the New York Mets is all but officially over, but some MLB rumors indicate that he may not be going very far away.
The New York Yankees have emerged as a potential landing spot for Harvey after the Mets moved to cut ties with him, with a number of MLB beat writers suggesting that the Bronx Bombers may be interested in taking a flyer on Harvey .
On Friday, the Mets designated the struggling pitcher for assignment after he refused to go to the minors for a stint, effectively ending his career with the team after five up-and-down seasons. After a fantastic debut for the team, Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery and returned stronger than ever in 2015, leading the team to a World Series. But after Harvey underwent a second surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome — a procedure that few players fully recover from — his pitching was never the same.
Harvey was relegated to the bullpen this year after struggling as a starter, and the Mets this week asked him to go to the minors to try to work out his problems. Harvey refused, and the Mets DFA’d him on Friday.
The MLB rumors about Matt Harvey’s next destination started almost immediately. NorthJersey.com ranked the potential landing spots for Harvey, noting that the Angels, Orioles, and Pirates are all in need of pitching help.
But exactly what Matt Harvey would bring to a pitching staff is a question mark at the moment. He has lost most of his velocity and struggles with placement, especially on his slider, and with the Mets, he seemed unwilling to take on any role outside of starting. After a poor performance out of the bullpen against the San Diego Padres last week, Harvey admitted that he had a hard time mentally preparing to come in out of the pen.
JUST IN: Matt Harvey reportedly to be DFA’d tomorrow after refusing a minor league assignment pic.twitter.com/cfFXHh0hAC
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 4, 2018
While the MLB rumors surrounding Matt Harvey are growing already, there is no indication that the New York Yankees are interested, or any other team for that matter. He will now go through the waivers process, and if he should clear, it would give the Mets the choice to either trade or, more likely, release Harvey.
