Matt Harvey reportedly close to a deal with the Royals

The former New York Mets star may have found a new home in MLB.

Matt Harvey‘s fall from grace following the 2015 World Series was a sad thing for New York Mets fans to see. Five years later, it appears he has yet another new home.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Harvey is closing in on a contract agreement with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Yes, the very team that hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy at his expense. Additionally, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Harvey will report to the Royals’ minor league site to try and make a comeback in the majors.

This is quite the pivot in career path, as the right-handed pitcher had been looking to join the Korean Baseball Organization over a month ago.

Harvey’s rollercoaster MLB career

As mentioned earlier, Harvey’s downward spiral came during Game 5 of the 2015 World Series. After arguing to pitch in the ninth inning, Harvey imploded and left the game. An errant throw to home by first baseman Lucas Duda sealed the Mets’ fate, as it allowed the Royals to tie the game and ultimately win in extra innings.

The following season, Harvey underwent season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome after 17 games played. In 2017, Harvey’s mechanics were all over the place, his welfare was a concern for the team and he suffered a stress fracture in his scapula. All of that resulted in Harvey posting a vomit-inducing 6.70 ERA.

New York finally saw enough of Harvey and traded him to the Cincinnati Reds midway through the 2018 season. Desperate for any semblance of starting pitching, the Los Angeles Angels gave Harvey a shot, where he logged an unimpressive 3-5 record, 7.09 ERA and 1.542 WHIP.

Given that the Royals are in the midst of a rebuild, bringing in Harvey on the cheap isn’t a bad move. If Harvey can improve his game down at Kansas City’s minor league site, we very well could see him don the Royals’ blue and white in 2020.