While he has been struggling to keep a job since 2016, it is easy to forget that Matt Harvey was one of the best pitchers that the New York Mets have brought up to the major leagues since the turn of the millennium.
His stay with the Mets came to a rocky end May 2018 when the team designated him for assignment. Here are his seasonal ERAs since the 2016 season: 4.86, 6.70, 4.94 and 7.09 last season with the Los Angeles Angels.
In 12 starts with the Angels in 2019, he had a putrid 5.88 K/9 and an elevated 4.37 BB/9. He allowed almost two home runs (1.96) per each nine innings. He had the lowest fastball velocity of his career, at 93.6 according to Fangraphs.
Was there any scenario in which the Mets could reach out to Matt Harvey to see if there is any mutual interest in a reunion? Well, according to New York Mets’ beat writer for MLB.com Anthony DiComo, the team isn’t considering the “Dark Night.”
Answering questions from fans, DiComo wrote: “To my knowledge, no. The Mets weren’t interested in Harvey when he failed to land even a Minor League deal this winter. I find it hard to believe they would be interested now, particularly considering their checkered history with him.”
An awesome Mets’ debut, then the wheels fell off
Harvey debuted with the Mets in 2012. In 59.1 frames, he had a stellar 2.73 ERA (3.30 FIP) with 10.62 K/9 and 3.94 BB/9. A year later, he pitched 178.1 innings of 2.27 ERA (with a jaw-dropping 2.00 FIP.) Harvey missed the 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned to a 2.71 ERA in 2015. Things started going south in 2016.
Simply put, since he was released from the Angels, there hasn’t been a lot of interest in Harvey’s services around the league. He hasn’t been even decent for four years now, so he may have a hard time finding a job.