You would THINK that would be enough for anyone to fret over. But then you start to wonder about all that talk about pitch limits and innings limits. For all of the faults of the medical staff with a lot of situations, the Mets have done everything to protect their young pitchers. They have coddled them and brought them along slowly...bringing them to the major league level at specific times and kept a cap on their innings, increasing their respective limits year by year. And they have been overly cautious with regard to Matt Harvey and his return from Tommy John surgery. Heck, the guy wanted to return last season and the Mets stood firm and said, "No way."
So why in the world, with the Mets on their best run in years, would Scott Boras inject himself into this situation and stir the pot? Because Scott Boras IS Scott Boras. For years, the Mets would not deal with any player represented by Boras. And now one can understand why general managers like Sandy Alderson avoid any of Boras' clients. Boras is trying to insist that the Mets shut Harvey down once he hits 180 innings. And he means 180 innings TOTAL...meaning once he hits 180 innings for the season...that's it...shut him down. Well, in case you don't look at the Mets stats everyday, Harvey has already thrown 166 1/3 innings thus far. That means...if the Mets bow to Boras' edict...there will be no Matt Harvey if the Mets make it to the post season.
Alderson is beside himself...and rightfully so. First of all...what agent tells a team how to manage their players? Obviously, Scott Boras does. Boras claims it should be the doctors who make the decision. But if it were truly a medical decision, then unless there was an exacerbation of an injury, why would the issue be raised seven months into the season rather than when the protocol was set prior to the season? And with all of the talk of innings limits all season long...why now?
It seems that everyone was worried that the Mets would make the same ridiculous decision that the Nationals made when they shut down Stephen Strasburg and it cost them dearly in the post season. If the Mets go into the post season minus Harvey, it will be a major blow for the team. You have to wonder what Boras is thinking. If he is interested in his client making money, the offers for endorsements will be pouring in if Harvey gets into the post season with the Mets. His star status will just continue to rise. He HAS to see that regardless of Jacob deGrom's success and the fans' embracing of Noah "Thor" Syndergaard, Matt Harvey IS this generation's Tom Seaver.
Alderson has a right to be annoyed. The fans have a right to be annoyed. I'm annoyed. It's because of Scott Boras that I have to pay as much as I do for a ticket to see a game...that I have to pay $18.00 for two pretzels and a water...that it costs over $300 to get a jersey when I won't even get an at bat. And now Scott Boras has to interfere with the Mets run, make his presence known, and create another obstacle, another hurdle, another odyssey for the Mets to overcome.
