How successful Matt Harvey‘s 2017 campaign will be is hard to predict. Coming off an injury-shortened 2016 season where he had to have a procedure for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Harvey is hoping to bounce back for a successful season on the mound. A successful season could mean many things for Harvey and the Mets. For Harvey, it could add value to his potential free agent deal in the bonanza that will be the 2018 free agent market. For the Mets, it will mean they will have another stud on their rotation for the 2017 season. It could also mean that they will have a highly valuable trade chip for the trade deadline come July.
Many expect Harvey to depart the Mets when free agency comes, which would be a crushing blow to many Mets fans. To rub more salt into the wound, those who expect him to leave expect him to jump ship for the rival Yankees. So, why not get value out of Harvey before he leaves? If he starts 2017 in dominant form, it may be wise to trade him and receive some value back for the right hander. Although Harvey is to many a fan favorite, he could bring back something of value to the organization.
This is familiar waters for Sandy Alderson and the Mets Front Office. In 2011, The Mets pondered sending José Reyes to the Giants in a deal that could have potentially included Madison Bumgarner. The Mets held on to Reyes, and he ended up heading south to the Miami Marlins. Instead, the Mets decided to trade Carlos Beltran and they reaped the rewards, receiving Zach Wheeler in the process.
Is this trade deadline decision different than the ones previously mentioned? Of course, considering the Mets are expected to be in contention this season and Harvey is under arbitration control until after the 2018 season. But, if the Mets can receive a significant hitter in a deal that includes Harvey, the deal might be worth it. The rotational depth is a strong suit for the Mets, as they could move everyone else up in the rotation and simply slide Robert Gsellman, Wheeler, or Seth Lugo in to the fifth slot.
Of course, the potential deal would rely on the health of the Mets this season. The Mets are relying on the pitching staff to stay healthy, as well as the rest of the team. Provided the Mets stay healthy, they should be neck and neck with the Washington Nationals for the division crown. An extra volt of offensive energy could be just what the Mets need to propel past the Nationals.
While many Mets fans still cling to the image of Harvey coming up through the system and making a riveting debut, they also need to remember that baseball is a business. Sure, many fans would love for Harvey to remain a Met for life. But this fantasy may be hard to make a reality, as the Mets will also soon need to give pay raises to the likes of Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz. Harvey may need to be traded to make his loss less severe than if he departed through free agency.
I see Harvey pitching the full season for the Mets.
Come the off-season, that’s the time to make the big decision. There’s a long stretch between now . . . and then.
If Harvey is great in 2017, he’ll be a core reason for the Mets postseason hopes. You don’t walk away from a real chance at a ring. If Harvey struggles with his health, again, the Mets would be selling low, and pointlessly.
The guy is a stud. A great pitcher if healthy. You want to hand him the ball on a big game. You want to go into the postseason with him on your side.
Play it out.
I would absolutely trade Harvey, as soon as he proves he’s healthy, both to restock the upper minors and get a solid big league bat in the process. He’s a goner after next season, as he’s with Scott Boras, so we might as well trade him now, give the team a year and a half to two years of value of him and maximize our profit
I try to win in 2017, and make every decision based on that goal. I certanly don’t trade away an effective Matt Harvey for prospects in some sort of false notion of maximizing value.
The value to consider is a World Championship.
The Mets have done it twice. How do we feel about those teams? What do those seasons mean to this franchise?
You try to win when you’ve got a shot at it, and there’s value, too, in the effort even when the result falls short.
To my mind, the Mets stand a better chance with a healthy Matt Harvey in the rotation. Come winter, it can be revisited.
Oh, one more thing: One aspect of the trade you suggested, getting a bat, makes little sense in the reality of MLB. Teams in the hunt, in “win now” mode, surely might want to obtain a top-shelf pitcher like Harvey, and they might be willing to surrender top prospects, but they would never surrender a quality bat from their roster. Deadline trades never work that way.
An unlikely trade chip, Matt Harvey,lol. You should have stopped there. How many innings in the last three seasons? How many years of control? You’d be selling low! What do you think you’d get in return? Maybe a set-up guy or a backup OFer? And Beltran for Wheeler, while still a good deal that made sense maybe not as a good a deal as we all hoped it would be.
LOL, David Price was shopped with only a few months left and it was a boatload.
Let Harvey win 15 games, take the Mets to the WS and trade his butt (preferably to the AL) in the offseason for a haul that nets his future replacement, a CF and a 3B that can be the captain’s replacement.
Signing him to whacko ‘Boras’ contract will only put the Mets in a bad place. It would create a barometer for their other ‘aces’ to compare to and not be able to sign either. Let’s all worry about 2017 in 2017. In 2018, the team will be totally different anyway. No Duda, no Cabrera, no Grandy, no Bruce, no d’Arnaud if he does not get going this year…..may as well be no Harvey also if the Mets can get the return they need. They can still win with Thor, deGrom, Matz, a healthy Wheeler, Lugo, Gsellman. A ‘super trade’ for Harvey after this season will keep the Mets in the playoff hunt for yrs and yrs like the old Atlanta Braves used to be.