After some initial concern from fans that he would go the Stephen Strasburg route, Matt Harvey confirmed he'll take the mound for the New York Mets in the 2015 postseason should the team qualify.
In a piece for The Players' Tribune aptly titled "I Will Pitch in the Playoffs," Harvey wrote that he, his agent—Scott Boras—his doctors, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and other Mets personnel are all in agreement with the plan going forward:
As an athlete, when your surgeon explains to you the risks of exceeding a certain number of innings, it can be alarming. You listen. I love to play baseball and I love winning even more. I would not give that up for anything. I also know I want to be able to play and win for a long time. But there has never been a doubt in my mind: I will pitch in the playoffs. I will be healthy, active and ready to go.
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Together, we are coming up with a plan to reach an innings limit during the season. It will be a compromise between the doctors and the Mets organization to get me, and the team, to where we need to be for our postseason run.
On Monday, ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin relayed a synopsis of Alderson speaking on Harvey's future:
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan wondered why Harvey didn't clear this whole mess up earlier:
Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star was also less than complimentary about how Harvey has handled the past weekend:
As Sports Illustrated's Jay Jaffe noted, Harvey and his handlers have really changed their tune in a relatively quick time frame:
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported Friday that Boras was expecting the Mets to shut Harvey down after roughly 180 innings so as not to work him too hard in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
"Matt Harvey would love to pitch," Boras said. "But the surgeon who saved his career and other surgeons consulted have said that for maximum safety he is not to exceed 180 innings for the year."
After being asked whether he planned to pitch in the playoffs, Harvey brushed the question aside and instead referred to the innings limit.
"I've been on the phone with Dr. Andrews. I've been on the phone with Scott," he said, per Rubin. "Dr. Andrews said his limit was 180. That's what Scott, or Dr. Andrews had said. But, for me, I've got 166 innings. I don't know any much more than what I have to do Tuesday. And that's go out and beat the Nationals."
According to Newsday's Marc Carig, the Mets were "blindsided" by the idea Harvey might not be available for the postseason.
Even former Mets ace Dwight Gooden was among Harvey's critics:
You can understand why New York wants to have Harvey available come October. He's considered the team's ace, and the franchise has made the playoffs just four times since its 1986 World Series win. The Mets can't automatically assume the magic from this year will carry over into future seasons.
Losing a pitcher of Harvey's caliber would be a massive blow, even with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese rounding out the rotation. With Harvey and deGrom leading the way, the Mets are seventh in starter WAR (14.1), third in starter ERA (3.40) and sixth in starter FIP (3.59), according to FanGraphs.
A handful of moves near the deadline, including adding Yoenis Cespedes, have helped New York improve offensively, but the team will go as far in the playoffs as its rotation will take it.
The Mets need only to look at their division rivals to see how banking on future success can be a risky proposition. The Washington Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg before the 2012 playoffs, when the Nats had a real chance of winning a ring. Instead, Washington lost in the National League Division Series and hasn't advanced past the NLDS since.
With all of that said, it's easy to see Harvey's point of view as well. He has three years of arbitration ahead and then will become a free agent. To a certain extent, it would be foolish to risk his future earning power to play in the present when he is just one year removed from major elbow surgery.
Each side had a compelling argument, making everything even murkier.
But now the Mets seem to have the resolution they sought after news of the innings limit broke, and Harvey can move on without the drama beginning to overshadow the team's actual run to the playoffs.
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