St. Louis Cardinals: The Cards should just say NO to Matt Harvey

The St. Louis Cardinals could use some bullpen help but looking to the Cincinnati Reds for said solution would be a massive mistake.

The St. Louis Cardinals, usually known for their pitching prowess, are facing the season in which the starters come with questions and the bullpen is rife with question marks. As the trade deadline approaches, the Cards must decide to buy a pitcher, pen arm, or to seek help offensively.

As of Sunday, the word out of Cincinnati is that bullpen arm Matt Harvey is up for grabs. The Reds grabbed Harvey after he was unceremoniously set free from the New York Mets where he at one time had a stellar career.

Should the St. Louis Cardinals take a rider on Harvey and make a telephone call to the Reds organization?

Let’s look first at Harvey’s numbers. This once-sub-3.00 ERA pitcher watched his numbers decline rapidly after undergoing Tommy John surgery and sitting out the 2014 campaign. This surgery followed “time off” during the 2013 season due to what was then thought of as a partial tear of the ligament in his throwing arm.

Once back in 2015, Harvey appeared to have his regular stuff back for New York and looked to star in the “Return of the Dark Knight.” This was a ruse. In 2016, mid-season, Harvey was sidelined yet again. This time with Thoracic Syndrome– something with which the St. Louis Cardinals are not unfamiliar.

Harvey missed the second half of 2016.

Enter 2017, a season that both Harvey and the St. Louis Cardinals would like to forget. Harvey managed to pitch for the Mets into June when he visited the disabled list again. This trip was due to a stress injury to his throwing shoulder. Sounds like his arm was doing everything except fall off.

2018 started with a whimper for Harvey and on May 5, the New York Mets designated him for assignment. The bottom-dwelling Reds snatched him up in a trade that sent Devin Mesoraco to New York (with cash) and Harvey to Cincinnati.

Where the Mets were using Harvey out of the pen and starting in spots, the Reds are using him as the starter that he was. In his past seven games, Harvey has pitched 39.2 innings, recorded 28 strikeouts, allowed 36 hits and 19 earned runs.

Harvey is predicted to pitch an additional 60 innings this season, lose more games than he wins, allow 32 additional earned runs, start in 11 games, and post a 4.80 ERA.

Should the Cardinals risk it?

Simply put, no.

Now that would be a fast and simple response, and it should be, but here’s why the St. Louis Cardinals should ignore the name of Matt Harvey.

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1. The St. Louis Cardinals do not need an additional injury-prone pitcher.
2. The St. Louis Cardinals would only likely use Harvey in the pen and this doesn’t seem to be what he wants nor what his agent wants.
3. Harvey is a free agent at the end of the season and while this may entice a team to take the risk, the St. Louis Cardinals don’t need this type of risk.
4. Harvey, thanks to his numbers, likely wouldn’t stick with the Cardinals past 2018, doesn’t appear to be powerful enough to help the Cardinals impact 2018, and makes zero sense as a rental.
5. Lastly, the Reds will be seeking damaging value in return if trading within the division. This isn’t known, nor stated, but even in light of the insurmountable odds of the Reds doing anything productive this season, no organization will trade within their division without demanding something of substance in return.

As though those reasons aren’t enough, I just don’t see Harvey fitting in with the 2018 St. Louis Cardinals. And, in fact, I’d rather our hitters square off against him rather than having him pitch with us.

Next: Trade with the Royals?

What do you think? Am I off the mark on this one? Let me know on Twitter and thanks for reading!