Mets designate Matt Harvey for assignment

The Matt Harvey era is over for the Mets. General manager Sandy Alderson announced Friday that the Mets will designate Harvey for assignment on Saturday after the pitcher refused a minor-league assignment.

Harvey, who made his debut with the Mets in 2012, has had one of the most tumultuous and enigmatic stints with a club in recent history. A star over his first three seasons with the club and the All-Star Game starting pitcher at Citi Field in 2013, Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery and dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome before becoming a serious liability for the club over the last three years. His 7.00 ERA and and 5.71 FIP in 27 innings with the club this season caused the club to first demote him to the bullpen and then try to send him to the minors before ultimately deciding to cut ties.

Harvey ends his Mets tenure with a 3.66 ERA and 3.44 FIP in 109 appearances (104 starts) over six seasons. He’s making $5.625 million this season, which was the club’s last year of control over him, and could be released and signed for the prorated portion of the major-league minimum.

Harvey, still just 29, will likely draw interest from more than a few clubs who will try to get him back on track with a change of scenery. While injuries and off-the-field antics have slowed what looked to be a career destined for greatness, Harvey is likely to catch on somewhere else as a bounceback candidate.