Former Mets pitchers Chris Flexen and Drew Gagnon are among those excelling in the KBO. Could Matt Harvey be next?
According to Jason Lee, Harvey is among three former All-Stars who have expressed interest regarding playing in Korea.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed Lee's report, adding that KBO teams have been in touch with Harvey's representatives.
Harvey, who has been throwing regular bullpen sessions as he continues to stay in game shape with the MLB season paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, recently opened up on what could be next for him.
The 31-year-old free agent, who tried out with the Blue Jays during the offseason, has been hoping to find a landing spot.
"I hope somebody gives me a shot," Harvey told Dan Martin of the New York Post. "I feel like I have many more years in me."
During the 2015 season, Harvey returned from Tommy John surgery and blew past his innings limit while helping to guide the Mets to the World Series against the Royals. Since then, he has been struggling with injuries and ineffectiveness, with thoracic outlet syndrome and surgery for it being the biggest hurdle he has attempted to overcome.
After the Mets traded Harvey to the Reds in 2018, he had relative success there before signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels worth $11 million. He struggled badly with Los Angeles in 2019, with the team releasing him last July.
"I hope I get the opportunity," Harvey said regarding his hope to return to the majors. "I feel like I'm in high school again, where I have to showcase myself and start all over. I just want to put myself in position to be ready and if it doesn't work out, to know I put the effort in to make a comeback."
During his time with the Mets, there were a few situations where Harvey's off-the-field life mixed with his on-field one, including being suspended after showing up late to the ballpark.
Harvey was reflective about his time with the Mets in 2018 after moving on to the Reds, and says now that he has "grown up and matured" on and off the field.
"There are a lot of things I'd do differently, but I don't like to live with regret," he said.
Former Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who was at the helm when Harvey blew past his innings limit in 2015, recently spoke about what he felt led to Harvey's downfall.
"I think ultimately it had to do with his second injury, the thoracic outlet injury," Alderson said on the Metrospective Podcast with Tim Britton and Pete McCarthy. "The elbow (Tommy John) injury, there's a standard protocol for surgery and rehab and the success rate is pretty high. And we saw it. Matt came back well in (2015) from that surgery. But with the thoracic outlet, there isn't the same history with players coming back."
Alderson was also clear about his personal feelings for Harvey.
"Notwithstanding everything that went on with Matt, I love the guy," Alderson said. "I think that there was a certain amount of bravado there, which made him -- for those of us that were around him a lot -- kind of vulnerable. For that reason, given his public persona versus what was really going on, (it) made a lot of us sort of sympathetic."