GOOD KNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
METS TALKING HARVEY DEAL
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Matt Harvey’s name has surfaced in several Mets trade discussions recently, but team officials still expect the beleaguered right-hander to remain with the club.
On Monday, the Rangers were among the teams that discussed Harvey with general manager Sandy Alderson and his staff, with injury-prone infielder Jurickson Profar’s name floated as the potential return. Industry sources said the deal is unlikely because the Mets seek a better return for Harvey. The Rangers also reportedly would want more in such a deal given that Harvey is a free agent after next season.
The Athletic reported the Orioles have held trade discussions with the Mets in a deal that would send reliever Brad Brach to Flushing. An industry source said that deal is more conceivable than one for Profar, but still unlikely to occur. Harvey was tendered a contract by the Mets this month and is expected to make roughly $6 million in 2018, after a second straight disappointing season in which he spent significant time on the disabled list. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom are the virtual untouchables in the Mets rotation, but the team is open to dealing from a pool that includes Harvey, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero. Even so, the Mets are hesitant to deal any starting pitching, given the overwhelming number of injuries to the rotation last season that left the team shorthanded. To this point, the Mets have been mostly underwhelmed by offers for Harvey. Profar played just 22 games for the Rangers last season and posted a .172/.294/.207 slash line. The 24year-old has battled shoulder injuries in his four-year career and never played more than 90 games in a season. But with the Mets in need of a second baseman, team officials are exploring all options. Possibilities include Jason Kipnis, Ian Kinsler and Josh Harrison on the trade market. Neil Walker is the top free-agent option. Brach, a right-handed reliever, went 4-5 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 67 appearances for the Orioles last season. He also had 18 saves. Brach’s name was floated at last year’s Winter Meetings as a potential trade target for the Mets.
Harvey, who underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016, went 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA in 19 appearances last season, when he spent two-plus months on the disabled list with a stress injury to his right scapula.
“As far as his velocity, we’re pretty pleased with what we saw last year,” Harvey’s agent, Scott Boras said recently. “It’s really about him getting command of his pitches, which we know when you have TOS, that is the issue, throwing enough pitches to get the feel back, your control.”
Alderson said he would like to complete a deal — either for a reliever or position player — this week at the Winter Meetings, but is under no pressure.
“The meetings are helpful, and it’s not just availability or meeting face-toface,” Alderson said. “It’s sometimes the urgency that one side feels about what needs to be accomplished in this time frame and that’s sometimes something you have to guard against is feeling unnecessary or unwarranted pressure to do something in this time frame. Obviously the environment is conducive to it, but you have to some extent divorce yourself from that and maintain a strategy that may extend you beyond these meetings.”