Matt Harvey: New York Mets former pitcher worth a look?

Former New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey has been DFA’d and will likely be granted free agency soon. Is the Dark Knight done for, or will we see a resurgence in another city?

After reports of New York Mets former ace Matt Harvey being seen partying in Los Angeles the night before a game in San Diego, the team DFA’d him. However, the right-handed starter has enough service time to refuse the assignment. If the team cannot find a trade partner within a week, he will become a free agent.

There are a number of teams that might make sense as a new home for him given his past success. But the question remains; is he worth the acquisition cost even if it’s just burning a 25-man roster spot?

His stats for this season aren’t pretty. A 7.00 ERA with a 5.69 FIP and a 2.22 K/BB certainly isn’t encouraging. His xFIP is a little better, but we when you are giving up quality contact often, that isn’t surprising.

The Dark Knight went only 5 IP in each of his first three starts. He then went 6 in his fourth and final game before being moved to the pen. That’s a 6.00 ERA with a .292 BA against in that role, so trying him as a reliever made sense.

Unfortunately, he was even worse after the demotion.  The beleaguered pitcher posted a 10.50 ERA with an identical .292 BA and a whopping .452 wOBA. In short, he has been awful in 2018.

What went wrong?

Matt Harvey was one of the best young starters in the game when he came up in 2012, posting a 2.73 ERA. He struck out 28.6% of the batters he faced and walked 10.6%. In his first two full seasons, he maintained the impressive ERA and K% while bringing the BB% down under 5. His future was as bright as anyone in the game. So what happened? Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).

TOS is a condition in which the nerves, arteries or veins are compressed as they pass through the shoulder. This can be due to inflammation or a narrow passage around those conduits putting pressure on them.

It leads to anything from light tingling in the arm and hand to a significant loss of motor control or feeling. In some cases, left untreated, it can even lead to blood clots. For pitchers, even with treatment, the prognosis is not good.

For the most part, it has been a career killer with names like Josh Beckett, Daniel Bard, Luke Hochevar, and Phil Hughes all struggling to recover from it.