Former All-Star pitcher Matt Harvey is still a free agent and will probably remain such long after the MLB and MLBPA end their standoff. He’s facing a pretty significant punishment.
According to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, Harvey is facing a 60-day suspension for saying he provided opioids to the late Tyler Skaggs, his former teammate. Harvey said in federal court on Tuesday that he tried oxycodone that Skaggs offered him and provided drugs to Skaggs in return.
The admission reportedly qualifies as “distribution” under the MLB’s current drug policy. Though any such punishment the MLB might hand down could be appealed regardless. The MLB has already pledged to begin an investigation after the current trial surrounding Skagg’s death in 2019.
“Once the trial is complete, MLB will conduct a comprehensive review of the potential violations of our drug program,” MLB said in a statement.
Harvey acknowledged while on the stand that his admission could jeopardize his baseball future. But he also said that he threw out his pills after learning of Skaggs’ death.
NEWS: MLB source says Matt Harvey faces at least a 60-day suspension for distributing drugs. Assuming he can sign with a team, that is. Harvey admitted in court Tuesday that he gave opioids to Tyler Skaggs. He could appeal any suspension. https://t.co/i0YFDzX3aq
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) February 16, 2022
Matt Harvey rose to prominence as the starting pitcher of the New York Mets between 2012 and 2015. He made the All-Star game and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting in 2013 after a career-best 2.27 earned run average.
In 2015, Harvey was the Mets’ ace as they won the NLCS and went to the World Series.
But after 2015, Harvey began to decline. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and has played in 79 games since 2018.
Have we seen the last of Matt Harvey in Major League Baseball?
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