The New York Mets have traded Matt Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco. Harvey will now join the worst team in MLB.
It’s official. Matt Harvey is now a former member of the New York Mets. He will join the worst team in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds. The Dark Knight is headed to Baseball Siberia.
The Mets pulled off some magic Tuesday by trading Harvey to the Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco. In doing so, they’ve solved two problems.
The dark cloud following Harvey is now out of the Mets’ locker room. In his place is a catcher whose career only recently went off the rails, mostly due to injury.
Mesoraco is a piece of scotch tape on an ax wound. An All-Star in 2014, he has battled injuries ever since. Unlike the other Mets catchers, Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido, he actually has some immediate upside.
I love this deal. What’s not to like? The Mets actually got something back in return for Harvey. They’ve also sent him somewhere he probably doesn’t want to be, which is surely going to start a fire under him. It will be fun to see how he responds.
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Obviously, the Reds need pitching. We saw how the Mets handled Homer Bailey on Monday. Would you believe he’s the best arm in their rotation this year?
As far as money is concerned, the Mets will pay the remainder of Harvey’s salary while the Reds will take on the $13+ owed to Mesoraco this year. It would seem that the Reds are optimistic about Harvey. I’m doubtful he would re-sign with them at the end of the season. So, perhaps they are crossing their fingers hoping he can become a trade deadline chip.
Harvey’s time with the Mets finished at 639.1 innings over 109 games. His 34-37 record isn’t what Mets fans had hoped to see from the former ace. More than a third of those wins came in 2015 when Harvey won a career-best 13.
Pitching half of his games in Cincinnati won’t do Harvey any favors. It’s one of the league’s toughest ballparks to pitch in.
Fans in Cincinnati shouldn’t set their expectations too high for Harvey. They should still wait to pass judgment. When compared to the other arms on the roster, who’s to say Harvey can’t become the staff’s ace by season’s end?
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Even though he’s no longer with the Mets, you can bet fans will keep a close eye on how his career progresses. Thankfully, the Mets have two more games in Cincinnati this week to see his debut. How fast can they sew him up a jersey?