Mariners Rumors: Seattle Interested in Matt Harvey

CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 22: Matt Harvey #32 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 22, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 22: Matt Harvey #32 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 22, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday, the Mariners popped up in 2 trade rumors, which is unusual for this regime. Often tight-lipped, the Mariners may be working on acquiring the former Ace of World Series contender.

The tweet that caused some level of eyebrow-raising by some Mariners fans came from ESPN writer Jerry Crasnick:

Yes, for perhaps the second time this year, the Mariners and Jerry Dipoto have inquired about the availability of Matt Harvey. While certainly a name a lot of casual baseball fans will know, the question remains: “does he actually make Seattle better”?

As we discussed on the Sodo Mojo Podcast yesterday(click here to listen or find us on major podcast carriers), the real question in acquiring a starting pitcher is whether or not they are better than Wade LeBlanc, and has the same upside as Marco Gonzalez.

Overall, Harvey has posted a 5.21 ERA, a 4.94 FIP, a 1.316 WHIP, and a 6.7 K/9. All of these numbers are pretty bad. However, since being traded from the Mets to the Reds, Harvey has posted a 4.50 ERA and 4.64 FIP in 13 starts. His WHIP has also dropped to 1.22, and his walk rate dropped from 3 BB/9 to 2 BB/9.

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Even with the Reds, Harvey’s numbers are awfully Felix Hernandez like. So if he isn’t better than Felix, he can’t be better than Wade LeBlanc, right? Well, it depends on how you want to spin Harvey.

Those who want Harvey will tell you to ignore his last start ( 8 ER in 3.2 innings on July 22) and look at the previous 9. In those 9 starts, Harvey posted 3.93 ERA with opponents slashing .257/.318/.366. Not terrible, but far from an upgrade to LeBlanc and eventually Gonzalez.

We wrote about the anti-Harvey argument back in May. The simple fact is that right now, Matt Harvey might not be an upgrade to the Mariners rotation. And diverting your limited assets to what can only be described as a questionable upgrade just isn’t wise.

Next: Ryon Healy to the Royals?

Whether or not Harvey comes to Seattle, we will just have to wait and see. We are 1 week away from the non-waiver trade deadline. Let us see what Jerry can do.

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