Texas Rangers Rumors: Matt Harvey Heading to Arlington?

The Winter Meetings have started which means the rumors are beginning to really heat up. The New York Mets have discussed the possibility of trading starter Matt Harvey to the Rangers.

According to Jon Heyman, the Texas Rangers have discussed acquiring former All-Star pitcher Matt Harvey this winter. Not too many details about the players involved, but the Mets are interested in Jurickson Profar.

At first glance this seems like a great deal for the Rangers. They get a borderline frontline pitcher for a utility player that has never really done anything at the Major League level. Profar’s versatility is his best asset right now.

The real issue in this deal is that Harvey is set to become a free agent in 2019. Profar is under control until the 2021 season. The Rangers are hesitant to give up a young controllable player for a pitcher with one year left on his deal.

This deal doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, but Harvey would be an upgrade to the Rangers staff. He’s coming off a horrendous 2017 campaign, but has a solid track record. Harvey went 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) last season.

Harvey is 34-35 with a 3.51 ERA in 101 games (100 starts) over five seasons with the Mets. He’s pitched in four postseason games. He has a 3.04 ERA in four career postseason starts, two were in the World Series.

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The problem remains, Harvey is one year away from free agency. His agent is Scott Boras, who normally has all his clients test free agency. This doesn’t seem like a safe move by the Rangers, especially giving up young controllable players.

The good news is that general manager Jon Daniels is looking for high-caliber pitching. He’s willing to trade Profar, even after reports saying he was against trading the young infielder. The Rangers probably won’t land Harvey, but Daniels does seem focused on landing another ace this winter.