Jon Heyman reports that the Royals are expected to sign free agent pitcher Matt Harvey. It will likely be a minor league deal. Harvey expressed interest in prolonging his career back in May.
MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan notes that the Royals are looking towards 2021 with Harvey. So this could be a multi-year minor league contract.
Harvey, 31, signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Angels for the 2019 season. It was disastrous as he posted a 7.09 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 29 walks over 59 2/3 innings before being released shortly after the All-Star break. The Athletics signed him to a minor league deal in August but he did not make it back to the majors.
Harvey was once an elite pitcher, posting an aggregate 2.53 ERA spanning 427 innings from 2012-15, even helping the Mets reach the World Series. However, he was undone by injuries as well as some off-the-field issues that resulted in a contentious departure from New York in 2018.
