Mets, Matt Harvey headed for a controversial September

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After years of mediocrity and heartbreak, the Mets are finally on track to make the postseason for the first time in 2006. Now, they are hitting some unexpected and very unneeded turbulence. New York, which is currently five games up on the second-place Nationals, is about to have a stretch run filled with controversy surrounding one of their aces. Despite going the entire season under the impression they would not be using innings limits for Matt Harvey, the player’s side (specifically, Scott Boras) says there’s been an understanding he’ll be shut down after 180 innings. Harvey himself spoke Saturday, refusing to say too much but indeed indicating he’d been under the impression the limit was set. It’s a complicated situation, with blame to go on both sides.

On Harvey’s side of things, he has to look out for himself and go with whatever the best course of action is for his career. Although a playoff run would be great, his career and ability to pitch for years to come is priority number one for the young pitcher who is only just about to hit arbitration. If Boras, his agent, is to be trusted, the surgeon who performed Harvey’s Tommy John surgery — Dr. James Andrews — has himself said the 180 inning limit is necessary. Of course, this is all strange talk coming from someone who has opposed different measures to limit his workload earlier in the year.

On the Mets’ side of things, they are finally waking up from a period of mediocrity and could really use Harvey in a possible World Series run. Without his presence in a postseason rotation, their chances to go all the way decrease dramatically. It appears they also may have been blindsided by this move, finding out just a few weeks ago. Whether that’s their own fault is another story. From this seat, it appears both sides should have been much better at communicating from the start. It’s a really tough situation for both the player and the team, and the only thing for certain is that it’s not over. Unfortunately for the Mets, it’s probably going to get worse before it gets any better.