It’s been a harrowing day for Matt Harvey, Sandy Alderson and the New York Mets, but with the passage of time it appears as though cooler heads are prevailing.
A team source told Mike Puma of the New York Post that they expect Matt Harvey to pitch in the playoffs, while another team source pretty much said the same thing to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. “Trust me, he is pitching,” said the team source.
“This situation is obviously still evolving,” Alderson told Rubin. “Hopefully there will be more clarity by Monday. Ultimately, Matt will decide how long he will pitch this season and any postseason.”
According to at least a half-dozen reports, Matt Harvey seems to be regretting some of the comments he made on Saturday after seeing the backlash from fans on social media.
Even manager Terry Collins told reporters that Harvey is “well aware” of the outrage Mets fans have been voicing on Twitter.
“Sometimes they don’t say the appropriate things at the right time,” Terry Collins said after the game about Harvey’s words. “It’ll certainly be handled in-house, whatever goes on, and we’ll make the best decisions moving forward. Right now I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
John Harper of the Daily News explained that what he took from Collins, is that Harvey views himself as a gamer and worries about fans seeing him as a villain and turning on him at home.
So things are evolving rapidly. There’s now a growing sense that this whole situation will somehow be resolved within the next 48 hours. Terry Collins expects to sit down with Matt Harvey on Sunday and then GM Sandy Alderson will meet with Harvey face-to-face on Monday.
The goal here is to de-escalate the situation and get everyone back on the same page with regards to how the team will manage Harvey’s innings moving forward while keeping his health and best interests in mind.
I would guess that after Sandy speaks to Harvey on Monday, that there will be a meeting of the minds with Dr. Andrews and agent Scott Boras to ensure that there is no further miscommunication in the future and that all parties are satisfied with the plan they decide on.
September 5
In a stunning turn of events, Matt Harvey arrived to the Mets clubhouse and told reporters that he’s always considered 180 innings a hard limit, and would not answer any questions about the playoffs.
Said Harvey, “I’m the type of person that never wants to put the ball down. But I hired Scott Boras, my agent, and went with Dr. Andrews, my surgeon, because I trusted them to keep my career going and keep me healthy.”
When Harvey was asked who would make the final call, he responded that he hired Boras for a reason and that’s “to prolong my career and put me in the best possible position.”
Harvey was emphatic about the 180 innings pitched saying that the 178 innings he pitched in 2013 was always considered the limit for this season. He says that is what Dr. Andrews conveyed to him and that is what he always believed.
He added that he has not spoken to Sandy Alderson although he knows that Scott Boras warned him to ease up when he had reached the 140 innings mark.
Earlier today Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports spoke with Alderson who disputes what Boras asserts and said he spoke with Dr. James Andrews on Friday.
Andrews said he never gave the Mets or anyone else an absolute limit on Harvey, and added that there was no need for an absolute limit.
He did caution Alderson about avoiding any fatigue during the season and NOT to disrupt Harvey’s rhythm if he intended to pitch in playoffs.
“He didn’t say 180 was the number,” said Alderson. “He was not categorical at all.”
Harvey did say he was focused on making his start on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, but wouldn’t commit to anything beyond that.
Wow this is absolutely numbing news and I can’t help but think that the Mets are the victims here and have been completely blindsided.
Then you have the timing of this which makes this even more incredibly difficult to believe. Here you have the Mets battling for a playoff spot and now they have this colossal distraction hanging over their heads.
This could be the beginning of the end for Matt Harvey and the Mets. Unbelievable… I just don’t see anything good coming out of this. Just a terrible turn of events, my friends.
More on this as the story develops.
