Mets GM: Decision to DFA Harvey was 'a long time coming'
Matt Harvey's career with the New York Mets is ending, and it seems the organization sensed things needed to change long before Friday's decision to designate him for assignment.
"I think we've tried to find some other solution over a fairly long period of time,'' Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. "This was a long time coming. It's something we tried to address, we struggled with, and we wrestled with over two managerial regimes. The move to the bullpen was dramatic in itself. I think at this point, pragmatism and realism far outweighed other considerations.
"Matt's gone through two serious and career-threatening injuries, and he made every effort to return to a championship level. Obviously, there were challenges along the way for him and for us. But those challenges were always worth meeting, not just because of his ability. Matt is an appealing, likable, and vulnerable individual. In spite of the issues, I really like Matt. We're going to miss him, in many ways.''
After Harvey lost his spot in the starting rotation and struggled during four bullpen outings, the Mets held a meeting with him at 3:15 p.m. ET on Friday and asked him to consider working things out in the minors. By 4:00 p.m., Harvey - after consultation with his agent, Scott Boras - rejected the move.
Callaway said that he and pitching coach Dave Eiland hoped the former All-Star could rejuvenate his career by making some tweaks in the minors, as it seemed "unrealistic" for Harvey to do the necessary work while pitching out of the bullpen.
"I thought the route that Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee took when they went all the way down to A ball and kind of rebuilt themselves after 60-70 games in the big leagues was probably a more appropriate route to help Matt Harvey the best we could," Callaway explained.
"It's tough for both of us. We feel like we failed Matt Harvey. I think our job is to help every player, and it's not a good feeling when you can't.''
Harvey struggled to an 0-2 record with a 7.00 ERA across eight appearances, including four starts this season. He'll end his Mets career with a 34-37 record and 3.66 ERA across 104 starts.