Dodgers Rumors: The Dodgers should pursue Matt Harvey
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be missing that one last puzzle piece in the starting rotation. According to these Dodgers rumors, could that piece be Matt Harvey?
The Dodgers pitching staff has done fairly decent this season. The Dodgers rank first in pitching wins above replacement on FanGraphs, owning the lowest earned run average and the second highest k/9 ratio. Despite this success, the Dodgers are seemingly missing that one extra spark in the rotation, causing many Dodgers rumors.
It should be noted that a big reason for the Dodgers inflated numbers is the stellar bullpen and the best pitcher on the planet, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw alone has posted a 1.2 WAR while the Dodgers bullpen has combined for a 2.7 WAR. If the Dodgers had a run of the mill bullpen, and an average number one pitcher, the Dodger staff would be right around the middle of the pack.
Brandon McCarthy has also been a big contributor to this success, being the biggest surprise on the Dodgers this season. Now, with McCarthy slated for a DL stint, the Dodgers seem to be in a scramble.
Julio Urias is great, but he is extremely green and the Dodgers have an immensely short leash on him for the time being. Rich Hill cannot escape his blisters, Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu are far too inconsistent. Alex Wood is good at home but has shown signs of blowing up in certain games.
Now, the Dodgers do not need an extreme makeover, pitching edition. Instead, the Dodgers need to bring in one more arm, one more impact guy that can eat innings and be a contributor. Perhaps, that guy could be the Dark Knight himself, Matt Harvey.
Harvey and the New York Mets have been butting heads, with Harvey receiving a three-game suspension for no-showing the Mets game against the Marlins on Saturday. The reason for this no-show was a Harvey a headache, blaming the Mets organization for a lack of communication.
Harvey and the Mets are obviously butting heads, with the pitcher likely appealing the decision with his agent Scott Boras. The tension is rising in New York, and quite frankly the Mets may want to get rid of Harvey after a long, rocky road.
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Harvey was once an absolute monster, tossing a 2.27 ERA in 26 games started, striking out 9.64 batters every nine innings. This is what lead to the Dark Knight moniker, and now, Harvey is without his utility belt. In 17 games last season Harvey posted a 4.86 ERA, this season posting a 5.14 ERA in six starts.
Injuries, lack of off-field commitment, and tension in the big apple have all led to these blown up pitching numbers. Harvey needs a change of scenery, and that change of scenery is across the coast in Los Angeles.
Harvey would be a great fit for the Dodgers, and with the tension, they could perhaps steal him for a great price. The Dodgers do not need him to be the Matt Harvey of 2013, they just need him to be healthy and eat innings in the middle of the rotation.
With two more seasons under contract, if Harvey succeeds under pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, who has crafted this pitching piece of art in LA, he may be the catalyst to a World Series push.
Out of all the Dodgers rumors, acquiring Harvey may be the best route for the Dodgers to reach the World Series for the first time in 29 years. While it may not be the most prominent of the Dodgers rumors, it definitely should be considered.