MLB Roundup 12/19: Matt Harvey to the Angels

Angels sign Matt Harvey

It wasn’t all that long ago that Matt Harvey was one of the most exciting pitchers in all of baseball, pitching in New York City with electric stuff and a big personality. It seemed impossible that the Dark Knight would be anything but a star for so long. Over his first two-and-a-half seasons in the majors, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Then, the injury bug hit and he’s never been the same. His stuff fell off a cliff and his performance dipped right along with it in one of the most startling turns in performance in a long time. On top of that, the New York media was starting to turn on his life off the field, and he eventually got his way out of the big city. After spending last season with the Reds, Harvey hit free agency this winter. It was supposed to be his big payday, but obviously things have changed.

Despite not really pitching all that well in 2018, though showing some flashes here and there that he could still be a good major-league arm, Harvey actually ended up with a solid deal on the open market. The Angels, a team that’s been desperate for pitching for years, handed the righty a one-year deal worth $11 million. I don’t have a ton of faith in this working, particularly given his injury history and the Angels’ track record with injury-prone pitchers. I hope it does work, though. Harvey on his A-Game was one of the most fun pitchers to watch in a long time, and I’d like to see a team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on it at least contend all year.