The Eric Kay trial is now officially over, with the the former LA Angels staffer being declared guilty of distributing fentanyl to Tyler Skaggs and causing his death.
Kay faces 20 years minimum in prison, and will be sentenced on June 28th this year. Matt Harvey was one of five players to admit during the trial that he received pills from Kay, and he admitted that he used to abuse the drugs with Skaggs.
The court ruling could potentially even strengthen his already-legitimate chances of receiving at least 60 games worth of a suspension. Harvey had expressed at the trial that he knew he was putting his career in jeopardy by testifying. He explained that Skaggs was the one who introduced him to Kay, and the biggest issue at hand is that he admitted to supplying Skaggs with opioids several times.
MLB's drug policy counts that as distribution. Harvey received immunity from the government to testify, but that of course does not apply to MLB. The other four players did not admit to distributing drugs to anyone else, so they are off the hook for suspensions right now.
Former LA Angels pitcher Matt Harvey may not have the chance to revive his career.
Matt Harvey didn't have the best performance with the LA Angels in his hopeful comeback tour, and it hasn't gone any better anywhere else. Since he left the Angels, he pitched for the Royals in 2020 and the Orioles in 2021. He has recorded a 6.72 ERA with a 1.644 WHIP, allowing 12.1 hits per nine frames in that time.
Now with this looming suspension, he has an even lower shot of reviving his career to what it was back in his first few seasons in New York. Regardless of what happens with baseball, we at Halo Hangout are hoping that Harvey, as well as anyone else struggling with addiction, receives the help they need to live the life they deserve.