New York Mets: Matt Harvey should be moved to bullpen

The New York Mets should consider a bold move when Jason  Vargas returns to the disabled list. Move Matt  Harvey to the bullpen.

The New York Mets were very quiet during the hot stove season. When they signed Jason Vargas, the starting rotation became crowded. Most people are under the assumption the no matter how Zack Wheeler performs, he’s just a placeholder until Vargas returns, but the Mets have another option.

Early in his playing days, Matt Harvey earned the moniker “The Dark Knight” for his ability to be the guy who could stop the bleeding when they went on losing streaks. He no longer is that power pitcher, but he still has good stuff. So why not move him to the bullpen and =go with the rotations of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, and Vargas. Then use Harvey, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Jeurys Familia, and others (to be determined by the coaching staff) out of the bullpen.

Harvey, Lugo, and Gsellman could form a quasi “relief rotation.” They would be guys who could go multiple innings if needed saving the other arms in the bullpen from overuse.

We’ve seen guys go from good starters to good relievers before — most notably Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz. So, maybe it’s time to see what Harvey can do out of the bullpen.

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Harvey recently set a new Mets record with his 11th consecutive start of five innings or fewer. When Vargas comes back, that’ll be the time to give the bullpen a shot for Harvey. See if he can give you one to three innings of good pitching. That’s what he might be best suited for now.

It’s not about Harvey, it’s about what’s best for the Mets. If he can give them more quality outings out of the pen, then that’s where he belongs. Then he can return to being the Dark Knight, saving the day.