It's been a while since I've felt like there's been something worthwhile to talk about regarding baseball law, but with the Mets being in first place and bit of a controversy surrounding Matt Harvey, I thought I'd put in my two cents.
In case you haven't heard, Scott Boras, the agent for Matt Harvey, recently contacted the Mets to remind them that Matt was reaching his 180 inning pitch limit for the season. Matt, who had Tommy John surgery in 2013, was out all of last year recovering. His doctors, while apparently not giving the Mets a hard limit, have advised that his innings be capped to avoid further damage to his very valuable pitching arm.
From a fan's perspective, I really do understand how this looks as if Matt is putting himself ahead of the team when the team is making its first playoff run in a while. But remember, an agent's job is to look out for his client. While I think Scott Boras' tone could have been a little better, the reality is that he is just doing his job.
Matt is young, he should be thinking about baseball. His agent is the one pushing the Mets to make sure that Matt is healthy enough to sign a mega-million dollar contract. Matt is not eligible for free agency for three years, so unless the Mets agree to buy out his arbitration years and sign him to a long term contract, he does not have that ability to make the type of money where he never has to worry about finances again.
Now here's the reason I'm writing this article, no one is talking about an obvious solution to the problem. Everyone is just blasting Matt for being selfish. However, if the Mets sign Matt to a long term deal now, he will have the confidence to pitch throughout the playoffs without wondering if his financial well being is going to be permanently damaged.
Unfortunately, the Mets probably won't sign Matt to a long-term deal now for three reasons:
1) The Mets are still recovering from the Bernie Madoff disaster and probably can't afford to pay Matt big-time money (as well as Yoenis Cespedis who has shown he deserves to be re-signed);
2) Boras will request more than others are typically getting when a team buys out a player's free agency years, making it difficult to come to terms; and
3) Matt is a financial bargain to the Mets right now and it is a big risk to sign him to a long term deal. They have plenty of pitching, so he is probably better utilized as trade bait to get someone good in return and let the other team worry about the big payday.
Currently Matt is only making $614,125 for 2015. That is not a lot compared to what others of his caliber are making. As Grantland.com pointed out in a nice article, the Mets are able to decide when to use Matt, but Matt bears the physical risk of overusage. It's not as if Major League Baseball, with it's court approved monopoly, allows him to change employers at this point in his career.
While you may not care about Matt's state of mind or his financial well being, the reality is that if you are fan of the Mets, you have to understand that he likely won't perform at his peak and throw as hard as he might or put as much bite on that slider if he's worried it will blow his arm. That could be the difference between a quick exit from the playoffs and a World Series victory. How much would that be worth to the Wilpons?
