Matt Harvey close to minor league deal. (Update: signed)

[Tony-OH]

31 minutes ago, owknows said:

No more than it would make someone irredeemably bad to give their ailing wife a pain pill from a leftover prescription from the dentist.

It would be the same crime.

But hyperbole is king...

Yeah, making Harvey out to be some drug dealing Kingpin because he gave a teammate one of his prescription painkillers is about the biggest bunch of hyperbole and character assassination I've seen on this site in a long time.

Oh and supposedly did cocaine too. The humanity!

The only discussion we should be having is over whether the team is in need of his services and if he will be good. He may be able to burn some innings and can easily be released if he stinks, which he probably will judging by last year.

I wasn't a fan of the signing when it happened because I didn't want to see him get innings that should be going to young pitching talent. That talent has either gotten hurt, has a new role, or has struggled.

Now, if Zimmermann has another good start would i rather see him than Harvey, yes sir, but outside of Zimmermann, who else in AAA is ready to start in the MLB?

 

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

Cough syrup and B12 injections aren’t in the same class of drug as Percocet. I get your point but my whole point is that Harvey isn’t worth having based on his crappy production without his tarnished reputation.

If that was your whole point why bring up the other stuff in the first place?

 

[Tony-OH]

6 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

Because people abuse medications and can’t be trusted to self regulate. Not all people but enough that cause themselves harm or death.

Let's just stop here, ok? You are derailing this thread with whatever issues you have about this subject. Let's stay on baseball. Thanks.

[Frobby]

13 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

I’m just saying it’s not worth it to the Orioles based on his lousy production. The commitment is small but they could get 125 innings of 6.27 ERA ball from a guy without the strings.

That was my reaction when we signed him, so I don’t disagree.   But he’s in the org now, so may as well use him when it makes sense.  

[jabba72]

14 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

No, you definitely should not do those things! I don't think people should go to jail necessarily but they are violating the terms of their prescription and stepping into "at your own risk" territory where bad things could happen.

I think we can all agree Harvey technically violated the law and was part of a culture of drug use that enabled a young man's death. There is some culpability there. Beyond that, how bad of a person that makes him is up to you. For me, it's enough that I want no part of him, but I might think differently if it was, say, Grayson Rodriguez who might actually be a good pitcher. 

 

 

I didnt like the minor league signing when it was made but strangely enough Harvey may actually be called up at some point. But I'd like to see him pitch well in Norfolk first. 

[owknows]

6 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

Because people abuse medications and can’t be trusted to self regulate. Not all people but enough that cause themselves harm or death.

People can't be trusted....

So they have to be controlled by.....  people.

[owknows]

3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Let's just stop here, ok? You are derailing this thread with whatever issues you have about this subject. Let's stay on baseball. Thanks.

Sorry... didn't see your response to after I posted... my bad

[Aristotelian]

6 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

 

Now, if Zimmermann has another good start would i rather see him than Harvey, yes sir, but outside of Zimmermann, who else in AAA is ready to start in the MLB?

I'd rather see any of Baumann, Reyes, Kevin Smith, and Vallimont before Harvey. No guarantee they will be better but they all have more upside.

[UMDTerrapins]

He’s a freelancer. We may have a new arm or two to audition a month from now. If so, he’s cut. If not, hopefully he can keep the bullpen from being overused. Glad we have him. 

[Jammer7]

3 hours ago, Roll Tide said:

Fentanyl ultimately killed Skaggs but he was apparently using all kinds of stuff. Harvey admitted to giving him Percocet. His admission should be enough to charge him for the distribution. So I’m not sure why he hasn’t been charged. It may have something to do with the statute of limitations is California. You have to assume that Skaggs took something given to him by Harvey at some point. Not doing so would be naive to say the least.
 

I know drug sharing is illegal and agree that it does happen frequently. But, do you think that makes it ok?

Solid? LOL ….he was a below replacement level pitcher with a 6.27 ERA. You can get 127 innings of that production from any number of scrap heap or AAAA pitchers that they could’ve picked up. Unless you plan was to lose and a guy like Harvey was certainly a key contributor in that endeavor.

A washed up pitcher with baggage …. No thanks

 

I won’t give Elias a pass on Harvey in any way, shape, or form. He picked up a washed up pitcher who is guilty by his own admission of a crime. 
 

Finally, Did he make more sense than Cueto? The answer is an emphatic no unless you are trying to lose. I believe Elias went into this season intending on tanking again but the team has by all accounts exceeded expectations despite still being a sub 500 team.

 

 

The intent of distribution laws is not applicable here. Matt Harvey was not dealing/distributing prescription drugs, based on the testimony. Simply giving someone a pill or two is not akin to being a dealer, who does this for profit or in furtherance of a criminal organization’s profit. Again, it’s a false narrative.

I am going to out myself here. I retire today, after more than 28 years as a law enforcement officer. I worked in drug enforcement for many years for a large agency in Florida, often assigned to task forces and such. So, I do have just a little background here. And no, I do not condone his sharing prescription drugs. I am just giving you context of what I have seen. The courts generally do not want those kinds of cases involving the common citizen, and they generally get rid of them with little consequence. 

Please, do not tell me about assumptions that Skaggs ingested anything from Harvey. There is no evidence, testimonial or otherwise, that indicates that. Therefore, it does not exist. 

When I referred to Matt as a solid vet, it had to do with his professional attitude, work ethic and demeanor. The example he set, according to everything I have read, was excellent. Let’s face it, you’re not wrong about the numbers, but there was a lot to like as well. The starts after the break were pretty good, then the injury. His four July starts we’re very good, 3-1, 2.45 era, 22 IP, 19 H, 14K, 2BB, .95 WHIP, .229 BA against. Overall, according to Fangraphs, his FIP/xFIP was 4.6/4.81 and he had 1.9 WAR. The guy is fighting his health issues every day. He is hungry to prove himself again. A low cost bet on a very competitive guy, I have no problem with that at all. 

He is cheap, and a guy that if he does nothing, it is of no consequence. Matt is a known quantity to them. Cueto is such a good veteran option for a contender, and costs a good bit more. There were other options, and I am sure Elias pursued many that turned him down. That is the thing many forget, the player has to actually want to come here. 

The opioid crisis in this country, and around the world, is killing people every day. According to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), 130 people die each day to an opioid overdose. According to the CDC, in 2020, “prescription” opioids accounted for 44 deaths each day. This stuff makes “crack” and meth look like child’s play. I have seen far too much death from this from all walks of life. 

[Roll Tide]

25 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Let's just stop here, ok? You are derailing this thread with whatever issues you have about this subject. Let's stay on baseball. Thanks.

Sure ….sorry 

 

Washed up baseball player….shouldn’t be here

[sportsfan8703]

29 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Yeah, making Harvey out to be some drug dealing Kingpin because he gave a teammate one of his prescription painkillers is about the biggest bunch of hyperbole and character assassination I've seen on this site in a long time.

Oh and supposedly did cocaine too. The humanity!

The only discussion we should be having is over whether the team is in need of his services and if he will be good. He may be able to burn some innings and can easily be released if he stinks, which he probably will judging by last year.

I wasn't a fan of the signing when it happened because I didn't want to see him get innings that should be going to young pitching talent. That talent has either gotten hurt, has a new role, or has struggled.

Now, if Zimmermann has another good start would i rather see him than Harvey, yes sir, but outside of Zimmermann, who else in AAA is ready to start in the MLB?

 

Cocaine is a helluva drug. Also, Gunnar Henderson has “Never” had a beer before two days ago.   

[Jammer7]

50 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Let's just stop here, ok? You are derailing this thread with whatever issues you have about this subject. Let's stay on baseball. Thanks.

I just saw this. I apologize for my last post. 

[accinfo]

2 hours ago, Jammer7 said:

The intent of distribution laws is not applicable here. Matt Harvey was not dealing/distributing prescription drugs, based on the testimony. Simply giving someone a pill or two is not akin to being a dealer, who does this for profit or in furtherance of a criminal organization’s profit. Again, it’s a false narrative.

I am going to out myself here. I retire today, after more than 28 years as a law enforcement officer. I worked in drug enforcement for many years for a large agency in Florida, often assigned to task forces and such. So, I do have just a little background here. And no, I do not condone his sharing prescription drugs. I am just giving you context of what I have seen. The courts generally do not want those kinds of cases involving the common citizen, and they generally get rid of them with little consequence. 

Please, do not tell me about assumptions that Skaggs ingested anything from Harvey. There is no evidence, testimonial or otherwise, that indicates that. Therefore, it does not exist. 

When I referred to Matt as a solid vet, it had to do with his professional attitude, work ethic and demeanor. The example he set, according to everything I have read, was excellent. Let’s face it, you’re not wrong about the numbers, but there was a lot to like as well. The starts after the break were pretty good, then the injury. His four July starts we’re very good, 3-1, 2.45 era, 22 IP, 19 H, 14K, 2BB, .95 WHIP, .229 BA against. Overall, according to Fangraphs, his FIP/xFIP was 4.6/4.81 and he had 1.9 WAR. The guy is fighting his health issues every day. He is hungry to prove himself again. A low cost bet on a very competitive guy, I have no problem with that at all. 

He is cheap, and a guy that if he does nothing, it is of no consequence. Matt is a known quantity to them. Cueto is such a good veteran option for a contender, and costs a good bit more. There were other options, and I am sure Elias pursued many that turned him down. That is the thing many forget, the player has to actually want to come here. 

The opioid crisis in this country, and around the world, is killing people every day. According to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), 130 people die each day to an opioid overdose. According to the CDC, in 2020, “prescription” opioids accounted for 44 deaths each day. This stuff makes “crack” and meth look like child’s play. I have seen far too much death from this from all walks of life. 

Thanks for your service

[ScGO's]

Harvey had a 4.60 FIP last year, and had a couple solid streaks of good pitching. It was also the most innings he threw since 2018.  Now he's well rested and was probably able to learn a lot about himself in those 127.2 IP last year.  I think Matt Harvey could be the equivalent of Jordan Lyles when he is called up.