IT’S CINCINNATI FOR EX-MET HARVEY:
Somehow Mets ship Harvey to Reds & fill catching need
CINCINNATI — The divorce was finalized Tuesday. After the tumultuous five seasons that saw Matt Harvey at the pinnacle of the city’s baseball world, the end was rather unspectacular. After battles on and off the field, the Mets dealt him to the Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco less than an hour before the two teams played at the Great American Ball Park Tuesday night.
The Mets did about as well as they could in what was a bad situation, for which everyone can take some blame.
It was a rocky marriage that peaked in 2013 when he started the All-Star Game at Citi Field and the Mets were enamored of his confidence and bravado. It soured quickly after Harvey needed Tommy John surgery and fought with the team over his rehab and continued with issues after his return.
It was a relationship that was not working and it needed to end for both Harvey and the Mets to just get on with it. The Mets were quick to get on with the separation, after shopping Harvey this winter with no success.
After struggling at the start of the season, the Mets quickly pulled the trigger on Harvey, moving him to the bullpen. They gave him four appearances as a reliever and decided it wasn’t working. Friday, they asked Harvey to accept a demotion to the minor leagues, which they suspected he would refuse, as is his right according to service time.
When Harvey did refuse, the Mets designated him for assignment, starting the clock on his exit from the organization.
Reds GM Dick Williams said that their pitching coaches were “optimistic,” that with some tweaks, Harvey, who is a free agent after this season, will be able to help their rotation.
“Suffice to say, they were optimistic that there were things that they thought we could tweak. Certainly it’s not like the stuff has disappeared,” WIlliams said. “There is stuff there. Velocity has been good. We really like the changeup. It may be more of a pitch mix and approach than a big mechanical change.”
Williams said they had talked to the Mets previously about Harvey, but nothing materialized.
Harvey was 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in eight games, including four starts, for the Mets this year. The one-time Dark Knight went 34-37 with a 3.66 ERA during his Mets career, which included two major surgeries in the past four years.
That the Mets were able to get anything for Harvey in this situation was lucky.
They had seven days to deal him before he would become a free agent. Only the pitching-desperate teams, like the Giants and the Reds, would offer the Mets anything for a struggling pitcher.
That the Mets were also able to partially address one of their needs in this situation is lucky. Mesoraco isn’t a longterm answer for the Mets’ catching issues, but if he can stay healthy, he can help the predicament they are in now.
Mets special assistant GM J.P. Ricciardi said that they received enough interest when they designated Harvey and they were “fortunate,” to be able to address a need.
“I think we’re fortunate that it happened to worked out like it did,” Ricciardi said. “To address one of our needs was something we were looking to do and able to do.”
The Mets were specifically looking for catching help with Travis d’Arnaud out for the season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Kevin Plawecki is also on the disabled list after suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand.
Mesoraco, who was a first-round pick in 2007 and is in the last year of a fouryear $28 million deal, has been limited to 113 games since the start of 2015 because of injuries. He’s had surgeries on both hips and on his left shoulder. He suffered a fractured foot last season.
“From everything we hear, he’s healthy, feels as healthy as he has in the last few years,” Ricciardi said. “I don’t think he has to catch every day for us, but he can contribute, think he is in good enough health to be able to do that.”
When healthy, Mesoraco can add some pop to the Mets lineup. In his last healthy season, 2014, he was an AllStar who batted batted .273 (105-384) with 25 doubles and 54 runs scored in addition to his 25 homers and 80 RBI.
“He’s more of an offensive player than a catcher,” said one scout who has covered the Reds this season. “He’s OK (handling pitchers). He’s there for his offense, not defense.”
It is enough for the Mets. They needed to move on from the Harvey era and he needed a change of scenery. That they got any type of help back was a bonus for the Mets.