Reds retain Harvey after Brewers' waiver claim
The Cincinnati Reds will retain starting pitcher Matt Harvey after the Milwaukee Brewers claimed the right-hander on revocable waivers earlier in the week but were unable to work out a deal with the division rival, general manager Nick Krall relayed to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.
Consequently, the 29-year-old right-hander will make his scheduled start on Friday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs.
Once the Brewers made a claim on Harvey, the Reds had a 48-hour window to broker a deal with Milwaukee. However, the clubs couldn't complete a trade, and the Reds pulled Harvey back off waivers.
Alternatively, Cincinnati could've let him go for nothing, sticking the Brewers with whatever is still owed on his $5.6-million deal.
"We made an organizational decision," Krall told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy after the clubs didn't consummate a trade. "We couldn't come to an agreement that made sense for us. We felt that it made more sense to keep him and gain positive momentum for our club through the end of this season and heading into next season. (Harvey has) been a positive influence on that club. That was our decision-making process."
According to Fancred's Jon Heyman, Reds CEO Bob Castellini didn't want to trade Harvey, meaning the club may try to re-sign him in the offseason.
The Reds acquired Harvey in early May from the New York Mets after the former All-Star was placed on waivers. In exchange, the Mets acquired catcher Devin Mesoraco. However, as an additional wrinkle in the deal, the Mets would pay the remainder of Harvey's deal, while the Reds would pay the remainder of Mesoraco's $13-million salary.
Since being acquired by the Reds, Harvey has authored a 4.28 ERA and 4.50 FIP over 17 starts.
The Reds can place him on waivers for the purpose of trade again before August ends, but would be unable to rescind the request in the event the right-hander is claimed by another team. Instead, they would have to work out a trade with that team or let him go for nothing.