NEW YORK — Picture this: Matt Harvey. Champagne everywhere. Everyone is going bananas. It’s past midnight in New York City.
No, Harvey isn’t at 1Oak again. He’s in the Yankees’ clubhouse. It’s just after Game 7 of the 2018 World Series. His redemption story from Mets star to flameout and back is complete, and it all happened in pinstripes.
Sounds nuts, right? Yeah. It probably is.
But, for this fleeting moment, it’s entirely possible that Harvey ends up with the Yankees.
Let’s break down why it should and why it shouldn’t happen.
On Friday, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the team would designate Harvey for assignment because he refused a minor-league assignment. Since it’s unlikely any team will claim Harvey and the remainder of his $5.6 million salary for 2018 or trade for him, he’ll quickly become a free agent.
Let’s start with the easy stuff. Harvey has wanted to be a Yankee his whole life. Growing up in Connecticut, he idolized the team. When Harvey was at the height of his powers as the Dark Knight, he did nothing to quiet the idea that one day he might end up in the Bronx. If he signed with the Yankees, Harvey would be as determined as ever not to screw it up — at least you’d think.
On Friday, a source with knowledge of the Yankees’ personnel decisions told NJ Advance Media, “Don’t bet on it,” when asked if the Yankees would sign Harvey. The most obvious reason why? Imagine the circus he’d bring. It would be like Alex Rodriguez, the sequel. Instantly, all eyes would be on the Yankees, and for the wrong reasons. Harvey’s hard-partying, celebrity status has long been a hot-button topic. First-year manager Aaron Boone doesn’t need the distraction.
He’s just 29 years old. Yes, his fastball is down. It's averaged just 93 mph — down from its 96.5-mph peak when Harvey was Harvey in 2013. But he touched 98.63 as recently as last year and he’s still working his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome. So, two things: Maybe he’ll never recover his velocity, but that doesn’t mean he can’t figure out how to be effective. And maybe he will recover some of it. The Yankees may think they can get it back.
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