This was originally published in The Athletic.

The Reds traded for Matt Harvey on Tuesday. Which is significant, because once upon a time, Matt Harvey was one of baseball’s bright young pitching prospects, a guy who overcame Tommy John Surgery to become an anchor for a stellar, NL title-winning New York Mets rotation just three years ago.

Maybe Harvey will recapture some of that New York magic in Cincinnati, though if he does, it probably won’t make much difference for his new team. The Reds are aimlessly drifting toward another losing season, and if he does achieve any kind of success here, who knows if Harvey—who can be a free agent this winter—will still be around whenever the Reds are actually good again.

To be the team that gets first crack at helping Harvey recapture his magic (and his fastball), the Reds had to send Devin Mesoraco to the visitor’s clubhouse at Great American Ball Park, where he joins former teammates Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier, as well as a longer line of former Reds that fans have had to bid adieu and wonder ‘what-if?’

And is there a bigger what-if in recent Reds history than the career of Devin Mesoraco?

To read my entire piece, go to The Athletic.

(Photo: Getty Images)