Is the Dark Knight finally rising? If so, his ascent likely will continue elsewhere.
The Cincinnati Reds’ “main focus” ahead of Major League Baseball’s July 31 non-waiver trade deadline will be finding a trade partner for pitcher Matt Harvey, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported Monday.
Harvey has bounced back nicely in Cincinnati after the New York Mets traded him following a disastrous start to the 2018 season. Entering Sunday, the 29-year-old had allowed two runs or fewer in five consecutive starts, lowering his ERA from 5.92 to 4.63 in the process.
Harvey’s inconsistency resurfaced Sunday, as he allowed eight runs over 3 2/3 innings in his worst outing of the season. But there’s apparently still interest in the former All-Star: The Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners are among several teams that have inquired about Harvey, Crasnick reported.
As of now, Harvey’s stock still is pretty low. He owns a horrendous 5.60 ERA since the beginning of the 2016 campaign and has been plagued by injuries, ineffectiveness and off-field drama for the majority of the last two-and-a-half seasons.
The high risk could come with a high reward, though, as Harvey was one of the most highly touted pitchers in baseball when he came up with the Mets in 2012. It appears moving out of New York’s spotlight has done him good, too, so a trade to another small market like Seattle or Milwaukee could be a good fit.
Harvey is on a one-year contract worth $5.6 million, so wherever he ends up, he’ll need to deliver if wants to earn any sort of paycheck in free agency this winter.
