Until about 4 p.m. Saturday, the divorce between the Mets and Matt Harvey remained something of an abstract concept.
Although General Manager Sandy Alderson had announced 24 hours earlier that the Mets would designate Harvey for assignment, bringing an end to the twists and turns of his tenure with the team, his locker had remained undisturbed. There were his jersey and cap on a hanger, and his shoes laid out neatly. There was the Jay Bruce giveaway T-shirt draped over his unoccupied chair.
It hardly looked different from when Harvey was merely in the weight room or out on the field stretching.