AP source: Matt Harvey, Angels agree to $11M, 1-year deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Harvey has agreed to an $11 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, returning to the team that drafted him out of high school but failed to sign the pitcher.
Harvey’s deal was disclosed by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced.
Harvey can earn an additional $3 million in performance bonuses: $250,000 for each start from 15 through 26 the person said. The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced.
His agreement, first reported by MLB.com and Fancred, nearly doubles Harvey’s salary from $5,625,000 this year.
Harvey joins a rotation projected to include Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs and Nick Tropeano. Shohei Ohtani likely won’t pitch at all next year following Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, and JC Ramirez’s return date to the major leagues is not certain as he recovers from the elbow ligament replacement procedure last April 17.
Harvey reached the heights of celebrity with the Mets, but his star plummeted due to injuries and off-the-field distractions and he was jettisoned by New York last spring to Cincinnati.
“I want people to know I do regret a lot of mistakes I made,” he said when he returned to Citi Field in August. “Obviously, I never wished it ended like that.”
A right-hander who turns 30 in March, Harvey was selected by the Angels in the third round of the 2007 amateur draft but chose to attend the University of North Carolina. The Mets drafted him in the first round three years later with the seventh overall pick.
Nicknamed the Dark Knight, Harvey became a star in Gotham when he debuted in 2012, and he started the 2013 All-Star Game on his home mound at Citi Field. But he got hurt a month later and needed Tommy John surgery.
Harvey made a successful return in 2015 and helped the Mets reach their first World Series in 15 years. He led 2-0 in Game 5 against Kansas City and talked Mets manager Terry Collins into letting him pitch the ninth, but Harvey walked Lorenzo Cain leading off and allowed Eric Hosmer’s RBI double. The Royals tied the score against Jeurys Familia and won in the 12th inning to capture the title.
Harvey was just 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 2016 and had season-ending surgery that July to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. He was 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA in 2017, when he was sidelined from mid-June until September because of a stress injury to the scapula bone in his right shoulder. He also was suspended for three days without pay in early May for skipping a game following a late night on the town.
He lost his spot in the rotation after four starts this year and had a 10.50 ERA in four relief appearances. When he refused to accept a minor league assignment, the Mets designated him for assignment and then traded him to Cincinnati for catcher Devin Mesoraco.
Harvey went 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 24 starts for Cincinnati, leaving him 41-44 with a 3.80 ERA in his big league career. His fastball’s average velocity had dipped from 97 mph at his peak to 93 mph in April, then rose to 95 mph by the end of the season.
___
More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
