JULY 28: This deal is now official. Harvey’s pact will be worth a prorated $575K if he makes the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. It also includes performance bonuses for games started.
JULY 23: The Royals are close to a deal with free agent right-hander Matt Harvey, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). It seems quite likely to be a minor league pact for the Scott Boras client, who would need to be added to Kansas City’s 60-man player pool before reporting to their alternate training site. Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that a deal between the two sides is expected to be completed today.
Harvey, 31, struggled with the Angels in 2019 when he totaled 59 2/3 innings with a 7.09 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. He had a solid run in Cincinnati following a trade in 2018, though, pitching to a 4.50 ERA and 4.33 FIP in 24 starts. By all accounts, he fit in well in the Reds’ clubhouse, and Harvey himself spoke to the New York Post’s Dan Martin earlier this year about the manner in which he feels he’s grown since his early years with the Mets. “I’ve grown up and matured on and off the field,” Harvey told Martin. “There are a lot of things I’d do differently, but I don’t like to live with regret.”
The Royals are already carrying a pair of Boras-represented reclamation projects in right-handers Greg Holland and Trevor Rosenthal, and Harvey will hope to join that bunch. It’s been years since he was New York’s “Dark Knight,” a budding ace who took the NL by storm with a 2.53 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 through his first 427 MLB innings. Harvey’s arm has been put through the ringer since then, however, as Tommy John surgery and Thoracic Outlet Surgery have sapped his heater and rendered him a shell of that previous self.
It’s easy to forget, though, that Harvey is still only in his early 30s. A rebound shouldn’t be ruled out completely, as the raw talent is clearly there, but adjustments clearly need to be made. A successful Harvey rebound would make for quite the storyline, but we’re a long way from the point at which that feels especially plausible.
baseballpun
From Dark Knight to Royal Knight?
I’ll show myself out.
krillin89
Aye oh
Al Hirschen
More Like a royal flush of a career
KingRyan227
Love it
reflect
You know how the saying goes: If you can’t beat them, spend 5 years suffering from health and maturity issues, then join them
findingnimmo
Ha!
slowcurve
A (knight’s) tale as old as time.
Mrtwotone
Watch him post ace like numbers in KC. Lol no probably not but crazier things have happened
baseballpun
He and Trevor Rosenthal will anchor the “Comeback Player of the Year” bullpen collection.
Captain-Judge99
Royal flush? I wish you the best in KC Harv. I’d rather play for the Dodgers taxi squad then the Royals
baseballpun
KC Matt-erpiece.
bucketbrew35
He was already ‘flushed’ out of New York and Anaheim.
mdunkel
Cegmuster at least with the Royals you know you are going get a Champion after years of disappointment. All the Dodgers give you is disappointment unless you like being runner up? 32 years and counting for you.
BStevens
Says the Dodger guy without a WS since 88
Shaun owens
Really thank you
PapiElf
He could be a younger Ian Kennedy. Used as their 8th-inning man.
baseballpun
“From Cy Young to Young Ian Kennedy: The Tragedy of Matt Harvey”
seth
“If you brake it, you buy it.”
seanwh01
Haha yes the royals completely broke Harvey in the World Series in 2015. He never recovered from that. Surprised he’d join the team that did that to him, but he seems like a bigger person now and KC will welcome him.
dcart1021
Like he has a lot of options. He had a 7 spot ERA in the majors last year and has a reputation for being difficult. He has to go wherever he’s wanted.
I’m more curious about what the Royals see in him.
seth
Dayton loves reclamation projects.
Sonny 3
Why now sign Cashner. He would be a great closer. Still throwing high 90’s
mlb1225
Cashner averaged 94.2 MPH on his fastball and hasn’t averaged above 95 since 2015.
prov356
Man, Matt Harvey…he was painful to watch on the Angels. I hope he can turn it around. He was awful for us.
DarkSide830
not a surprise after Sparkman’s last outing
TLB2001
We broke him, maybe we can fix him?
#worldseriescomvp
Al Hirschen
Spaz Harvey
flyingblindsquirrel
Good move, Matt. You’re already a hero in KC.
Captain-Judge99
For crying out loud where have you gone Jason Isringhausen?
Jeff Zanghi
He’s definitely getting more than his share of chances. But I guess it makes sense given how truly great he was before injuries and what not took their toll. I’m always a fan of ‘comeback stories’ so I wish him the best and hope he does find a way to ‘reinvent himself’ so to speak. Would be a nice story if he can find a way to be a valuable ML pitcher again. And like the article says he is only 30 years old… so who knows if he can find a way to ‘reinvent himself’ maybe he could pull a ‘Bartolo Colon’ and actually make a decent run for several more years and somewhat salvage what once was such a promising career.
Halo11Fan
I wish him the best. Rich Hill and Joe Blanton had pretty good careers after getting cut by the Angels.
GareBear
Blanton also started to turn it around in the Royals pen too.
angt222
Always thought he could reinvent himself as a relief Ace. Hopefully this works out for him!
Angels & NL West
I concur that the bullpen may be a better place for Matt right now. Work on two pitches. Have some success. And build from there.
Last years seven handle ERA is deceptive. As an Angels fan, I can tell you it felt like 9+… on par with Tim Lincecum’s outings in an Angels uniform.
metsfan68
Is there a nightlife in k.c.?…. Either way the guys a waste of time….dark knight my … More like black cloud….well at least he won’t get booed from the home crowd
stymeedone
I forget. What’s a crowd?
GareBear
Bitter much?
HalosHeavenJJ
Big week for Harvey. First a couple of home runs he gave up last July finally landed now this.
metsfan68
Pretty hilarious when you look back at the chant of HARVEEEEEYS BETTER, when he faced Strasburg.
neo
when someone says, “I don’t like to live with regret” and also “I would do some things differently,” I always wonder if that person realizes what kind of denial and contradiction they are straining to maintain in his or her outlook, or if they have lost all sanity and nothing is rational any longer in that person’s mind.
Hopefully he embraces the suck and just owns his mistakes. Or perhaps he doesn’t speak in literal terms and he only figuratively doesn’t like to have regrets.
GareBear
Or maybe he has changed his lifestyle for the better and works on being better rather than regretting what he can’t change. Being trapped by your past is a much more destructive mindset than a forward looking one.
Enzosrevenge
Carson Palmer should stop this…
minny505
Thoracic Outlet Surgery looks to be the kiss of death on a big-league pitcher’s career these days. It’s unfortunately becoming more common with seemingly a surgery a year at the MLB level and the recovery history is not good.
cygnus2112
Homer Bailey Part Deux?
James Midway
Why would they do that? They better score a lot of runs when he pitches
Ducky Buckin Fent
Angels fans.
What was his velocity like last season?
merci
99 Captain Judge
Dark Knight Mid-West
yamsi1912
Have fun with that KC
pappyvw
He had success in Cincinnati and was a solid teammate to all, according to player comments. I was surprised the Reds didn’t re-sign him. Then, I saw his numbers for the Angels and was glad the Redlegs let him go.
Shaun owens
Good for him , now don’t go play .. with the positive COVID test will the season even go on at this point pass a few more days
metsfan68
At least with a 60 game season you cut harvey after 5 starts and can say you had him for a half of a season
Dutch Vander Linde
He will be released by august
phenomenalajs
Interesting that Matt Harvey becomes a Royal the same day Patrick Mahomes becomes a part owner of the team. Mahomes grew up a Met fan.