Everything about the Mets feels out of control today, with the rash of injuries, the Nationals breaking away in the East and now the swift and stunning suspension of Matt Harvey, the franchise's onetime prince gone rogue.
There's no one to root for here. Never is when it comes to the Mets' handling of a personnel issue. There was no reason for Sandy Alderson to keep secret the reason for punishing Harvey. If the Mets' case against him is as strong as it appears, then a clear-the-air press conference would have been the first step toward restoring order at Citi, assuming that's even possible anymore.
All we know is that Harvey was suspended without pay for his failure to be at the ballpark on Saturday. According to one source, the Dark Knight texted the Mets that he was suffering from migraines after playing golf, and then cut off further contact with the team. Another source said Harvey told the Mets he was running hours behind because of the headaches, at which point the club told him to stay home, because he'd missed the reporting time, anyway.
Both scenarios point to the same disregard for the Mets' rules and underscores the fractured relationship between Harvey and his employers. He's filed a grievance against them, which means he _ and the Mets _ will use all relevant ammunition against each other. It could be a doozy of a showdown. It's a foregone conclusion Harvey will bolt the Mets as a free agent in 2018. The better question is whether he'll even make it through the summer before the team trades him.
Not that his departure would or will be felt on a personal level. There was little support for Harvey among his teammates on Sunday. That was the damning upshot after a one-sided loss to the Marlins _ no one came to his defense.
"We have to understand we're employees, (you) have to come do your job every day," Jose Reyes said. "The team puts in rules in spring training and everybody in here knows what the rules are. When you miss that it's not acceptable."
This should tell you how seriously the Mets regard Harvey's infraction _ they pulled him from a critical start against Miami. Trailing the Nationals by 6.5 games, they're all make-or-break moments for the Mets now. Alderson and Terry Collins had to know that leaning on journeyman Adam Wilk in Harvey's place was an act of surrender.
Wilk arrived at Citi from Class-AAA Las Vegas on virtually no sleep, and was lit up for six runs (five earned) in 3.2 innings. The ensuing 7-0 blowout was sealed the moment Harvey was told to go home early Sunday morning. But the Mets decided the loss, costly as it was, was worth the price of the rebuke. They'd had enough.
Remember, Harvey missed a mandatory noon-to-2 p.m. workout before the start of the NL Division Series in 2015, claiming at the time that he was stuck in tunnel traffic at 11:45 a.m. But he subsequently told Collins he "screwed up doing things around (his) apartment and the next thing I knew I looked up and it was 1 p.m."
The Mets didn't suspend Harvey, but they never forgot that he couldn't get his story straight. Club officials have been wary of Harvey ever since. No one knows for sure if he was indeed overcome with migraines, and if golf was the reason. But short of a medical emergency that warrants a trip to the emergency room, it was Harvey's responsibility to be at Citi on time.
No minor injury or illness qualifies as a legitimate excuse. No personal matter supersedes team rules. Nothing says more about a player's commitment to his manager and teammates than punctuality. Being late, blaming headaches, traffic or doing chores around the apartment, is part of a greater indictment of Harvey's investment in the Mets.
No one doubts the Dark Knight wants to succeed; that's not what this episode is about. To the contrary, he loved being an ace in 2013, enjoying celebrity status in New York and the mega-contract that he thought was right around the corner. But the fates have proceeded to crush him since then.
Harvey has undergone two major arm surgeries in four years, during which time Noah Syndergaard caught and passed him as the Mets' supernova. Forget about being a force in the National League; with a 5.14 ERA, not only has Harvey been busted down to the third or fourth slot in the rotation, he's having his worst season.
The right-hander's velocity has regressed, his location is off and, according to Pedro Martinez, his mechanics are skewed. Harvey is now throwing across his body. At 28, it's not a stretch to say the Knight is at a crossroads in his career.
He'll have to prove not only that he is capable of dominating hitters again, but that he cares about his team and teammates. With the Mets lurching from one crisis to another, Harvey's recovery still matters at Citi. But does it still matter to him?
