In the midst of the Matt Harvey innings controversy, agent Scott Boras took out an insurance policy on Harvey’s arm, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
According to Heyman, Boras bought the policy at the end of the regular season, when it was becoming clear that Harvey was going to continue to pitch, possibly all the way through the postseason.
The policy, although the dollar figures are unknown, has two tiers: one for a drop in performance and one for an injury that ends Harvey’s career. The purchase perhaps gave Harvey some peace of mind about pitching late into the playoffs.
Despite never having thrown more than 179 innings in any season, Harvey is now at 202. If the Mets advance to the World Series and Harvey makes another three starts, that number could climb to over 220.
As Heyman notes, very few pitchers have done that coming off Tommy John Surgery, and all had experienced much higher workloads than Harvey in years prior.
From a business standpoint, the move surely makes sense, as Harvey is still three years away from free agency. If he can stay healthy for a few more seasons, he is in line to possibly make over $200 million. An injury now would cause him to lose out on a whole lot of money.
That being said, Boras, Harvey, and the Mets all appear to be on the same page now: If able to, Harvey will pitch.
“We were never about him not pitching in the postseason, and we never said Matt Harvey wasn’t going to pitch in the playoffs. Any question revolved around the management of innings,” Boras said.
“There’s an obligation — I should say mandate — to pitch. There’s an obligation to the integrity of the game, to his teammates and the fans. At no time did the player or I ever say he wasn’t going to pitch in the postseason.
“I understand Matt Harvey has to pitch,” Boras continued. “The only way not to is to have the team take the ball away from him. And I don’t think they’re doing it anytime soon.”
