Given that I never would have thought it realistic that the Cubs would get Daniel Murphy this week, I simply won’t rule anything out at this point.
#Reds’ Matt Harvey claimed on revocable waivers by unknown team, sources tell me and @ctrent.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 22, 2018
In this instance, I tend to think the reason it’s unlikely the Cubs are the claiming team is because it’s hard to see Matt Harvey making it to them in the waiver priority line (they are last in the NL). Harvey is making just $5.6 million this year, so putting in a claim risks only about $1.5 million in added salary. Surely even the cheap NL contenders would be willing to put in a claim, and if the Reds say “take him,” they say fine. If not, the Reds pull him back and nothing is lost.
Harvey, 29, has been perfectly solid for the Reds since getting out of New York, and, although I wouldn’t call him an “impact” guy, he’s a useful starting pitcher.
The Cubs could probably use the starting pitching depth at this point, and, since it’s so late in August, you can always figure out how to make the roster work. Maybe they would consider a claim. But, like I said, I tend to think a team with higher priority would get him first. Maybe even a team like the Cardinals or Brewers.
But then, wouldn’t you have thought a team ahead of the Cubs would have claimed Murphy?
Stay tuned. If Harvey was just claimed today, the Reds and that team still have two days to work something out.
UPDATE: You can indeed scratch off the Cubs:
Source: The #Cubs were not the team that claimed Matt Harvey on revocable trade waivers. (Having the NL's best record obviously made that kind of deal with the #Reds a long shot.)
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) August 23, 2018