Mets DFA Matt Harvey after he refused minor league assignment

by Brian Erni May 04, 2018 0 Comments

The Dark Knight has fallen.

BREAKING: Sandy Alderson said the Mets asked Matt Harvey today to go to the minors.

Harvey refused.

The Mets are designating Matt Harvey for assignment tomorrow.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) May 4, 2018

Good riddance.

I'm sorry, but I have zero sympathy for Matt Harvey's situation. Injuries may have precipitated his fall, but his actions exacerbated it, and this latest refusal to accept his place in this team's hierarchy is the absolute final straw.

To paraphrase my friend, The Athletic's Marc Carig, Harvey always felt like he was better than everyone; too much of a star to pitch in relief (like Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman happily embraced), too posh to rehab in Port St. Lucie (like Dillon Gee and practically every other Mets pitcher had done in a similar situation). And this latest show of selfishness, a refusal to try and figure things out at Triple-A (like Zack Wheeler just did, like Steve Trachsel did back in 2001), is just the latest in a tale of the supernova that has become Harvey's career. 

It certainly began to feel like the Mets and Harvey had reached a point of no return. He cursed out reporters. He pouted in every relief appearance he made. He went out on the town in Los Angeles...while the team was in San Diego (a five-hour round trip). His actions didn't show any respect for the teammates he was supposed to be working with, or the manager and pitching coach that went to bat for him in the offseason. None of it mattered to him, and he showed that with every frown, every late night, and now, every resistance to be the best New York Met he could be.

There will be plenty of post-mortem on Harvey's Mets career in the coming days from scribes all across the Internet. How he exploded on the scene with sheer dominance. How 2013 was a revelation, and how -- in 2015 -- he pushed himself to throw the most innings ever by a pitcher who was returning from Tommy John surgery. How he tried to will his team across the finish line in a must-win Game 5 of the World Series. But on this day, right now, there seems to be one truth about this move:

For the New York Mets, cutting ties with Matt Harvey is addition by subtraction.

My, how the mighty have fallen.

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