Matt Harvey was once a beloved member of the New York Mets. After making the All-Star team in 2013 and helping the Mets reach the World Series in 2015, he was on top of the world. But as injuries limited Harvey’s effectiveness, his relationship with Mets fans and with the Mets organization soured. His late-night shenanigans were a frequent topic of discussion, no longer justified by his performance on the field. The Mets and Harvey finally parted ways when the club dealt him to the Reds in early May.
The Reds will visit the Mets for a three-game series starting tomorrow. Naturally, the media is going to want to talk to Harvey now that he’s back in New York. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, manager Mickey Callaway is slated to hold a press conference at 4 PM ET on Monday. The Mets asked Harvey if he could speak to the media at 3:45 or 4:15 so as not to conflict with Callaway. Harvey said he’s going to speak at 4 PM ET.
This isn’t surprising. The Mets bickered with agent Scott Boras over an innings limit after Harvey had worked his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2015. He wound up pitching 189 1/3 regular season innings and another 26 2/3 innings in the postseason. It’s impossible to say exactly what effect overusing Harvey had on his future, but it was clear the Mets cared more about the immediate gratification of winning postseason games than Harvey’s long-term health.
Harvey’s late-night shenanigans were also highly public with the Mets even sending security personnel to check up on him. After the club suspended him three days without pay last year for an unnamed violation of team rules, then-manager Terry Collins said, “I don’t know” when asked if Harvey’s teammates respect him. Harvey, by the way, filed a grievance against the team over the suspension. That Harvey would be petty in response to a reasonable request from the Mets isn’t surprising.