This is 1st step in Matt’s makeover
ATLANTA — Right decision. Smooth execution. That doesn’t mean Matt Harvey’s demotion to the Mets’ bullpen will produce a happy ending. But hey, at least neither side botched the launch, and that’s saying something when it comes to this tortured relationship. “Honestly, one of the reasons we brought in Mickey [Callaway] and Dave Eiland were for their knowledge and expertise in this area, and we have a lot of faith and confidence in what they’re able to do,” Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said Saturday, before the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Braves at SunTrust Park. “We think at this time, given what we’ve seen from Matt and the state of the starting rotation, this is a move that the time is right to make. We have a lot of confidence that we can get Matt back to where he needs to be, and this is the first step in that.” It marks the first step toward something different, that’s for sure, and kudos to the Mets for passing on Harvey’s sales pitch that his final three innings in his start Thursday night — a start in which he gave up six runs in six innings — earned him another start. As the savvy Callaway noted to both Harvey and the media, if he really did experience some sort of epiphany when he retired 11 of the final 12 batters, then he can take that with him into his new gig.
Harvey, meanwhile, managed to successfully walk the tightrope between pride and defiance while embracing his new assignment.
“It’s the decision that they have made,” he said. “I think I have to suck it up and go out there and do everything I can to get things back in gear … get things going and do everything I can to help this team and get back to where I believe ultimately I can [succeed the most], and that’s as a starter.”
If he succeeds as a reliever, Harvey probably will get his second chance at his preferred position, given the low odds that the rest of the starting rotation — with Jason Vargas set to come off the disabled list next week and replace Harvey — will stay healthy. Shoot, would it surprise you if Harvey’s very next appearance wound up being a start due to a circumstance that hasn’t happened yet?
That doesn’t mean he’ll magically improve. Ricco wondered whether Harvey’s massive decline could be “a mental thing, a confidence thing,” and spoke of a team-wide hope that the right-hander could “get that confidence back and really let it go, and get back to being a guy who can dominate the way he has shown in the past.”
Really, though, the Mets should be thrilled if Harvey can work his way back to being even league-average, a neighborhood in which he has never resided. He plummeted from great in 2015 to lousy in 2016 and hasn’t looked back.
Ricco said the Mets didn’t discuss the prospect of a minor league demotion with Harvey, a smart call. Harvey wouldn’t be obligated to accept such an assignment, by virtue of his fiveplus years of service time, and he shouldn’t have been castigated had he refused to go to Triple-A Las Vegas. And if Harvey has any shot at pulling off a legitimate makeover as he prepares for free agency this coming offseason, it’s most likely to happen by working with Eiland and Callaway.
Yup, Harvey and the Mets, sparring partners as much as employee and boss since the Dark Knight first emerged, pulled this one off without a hitch. Points credited for the takeoff. Now we’ll see whether this becomes a flight to nowhere or whether their tenuous cooperation actually leads to something worthwhile.