The A’s and the free agent righty Luis Severino agreed to a three-year, $67MM contract, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal includes a $10MM signing bonus and $57MM in salary over three years, Yahoo’s Russell Dorsey added. Severino can opt out after the second year of the contract, according to Passan. Severino is represented by Klutch Sports.
It will register as a shock to many to see the nomadic A’s, who will play next year at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento (home of the Giants’ Triple-A franchise), land a notable free agent with a massive multi-year contract. . They are in the process of moving to Las Vegas and have been pursuing free agents in an effort to increase salary entering the offseason without a single contract on the books through 2025. Other free agents — Walker Buehler among them – they completely dismissed the idea of playing in a minor league environment. Still, with a reported salary target in the $100MM range, there has long been a chance for the A’s to be a surprise player in free agency. MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald explored such a possibility at length last month.
The general assumption was that the A’s would need to pay more to pursue free agents this winter. The terms of Severino’s contract certainly suggest a clear willingness to spend more money than the market expects to lure free agents to their new home. Severino’s deal includes both a bigger guarantee than many expected again a chance to get out. Because he turned down a qualifying offer from the Mets, Severino will call up the A’s with their third-highest pick in next year’s draft. He will also give the Mets compensation, though only between the fourth and fifth rounds due to their status as a luxury tax payer.
The $100MM salary target likely stems from the Athletics’ status as a profit-sharing receiver. The franchise was stripped of its profit-sharing benefits a decade ago after failing to use those funds enough to improve the on-field product, as required. The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement reinstated the A’s as a cash-sharing receiver, and since then they’ve spent less in free agency to keep payroll at least in line with some of the league’s least-spending clubs. The deal with Severino shows a willingness to spend more than that. Impressively, it is the largest contract in franchise history, surpassing the six-year, $66MM contract extension signed by the young third baseman. Eric Chavez more than twenty years ago.
[Related: The Largest Salary In Franchise History For Each MLB Team]
Severino, 31, will quickly jump to the top of the A’s rotation. He’s likely given a first-round ticket to Opening Day, barring another significant acquisition via free agency or trade. He will lead the workers who are currently joining them JP Sears, Mitch Spence again Joey Estes. The A’s have a variety of candidates for the fifth spot, though the Severino deal opens the door for GM David Forst to sign/trade another starter of note to bolster the team.
Severino, of course, looked the part of the Yankees’ budding ace in 2017-18 as he posted 384 2/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA, a 28.8% strikeout rate, a 6.2% walk rate and a 45.8% strikeout rate. of low rank in his age- 23 years and 24 years. The fiery righty averaged better than 97 mph on his heater, recorded a 12.7% swing rate and generally had stellar performances. The Yankees agreed, signing him to a four-year, $40MM extension with an option for a fifth season.
That deal bought out all of Severino’s settlement years and his first free agent season. At the time, some thought that the pitcher who had looked up and shown so far was selling himself short. Over time, it worked surprisingly well, as injuries often kept Severino off the field and made him a shell of himself when he was healthy enough to take the mound. From 2019-23, Severino managed just 209 1/3 innings in the majors, dealing with multiple lat strains and needing Tommy John surgery along the way. His 2023 campaign consisted of 89 1/3 frames with a 6.65 ERA.
The 2024 season marked the re-emergence of Severino, who signed a one-year, $13MM contract with the Mets after this injury ended his Yankees career. The right-hander’s 182 innings nearly matched his total over the past five calendar years. He logged a 3.91 ERA with a below-average but passable 21.2% strikeout rate and a solid 7.6% walk rate. His ground ball rate of 46%, while not elite, was comfortably north of league average.
At the same time, Severino wasn’t quite the force he was at the start of his career. His average fastball with the Mets was about 1.5 mph at its peak. His 9.4% swing rate was decidedly below average — a near mirror image of his 9.1% strikeout rate in that disastrous 2023 season and nowhere near his career-best 13.3% rate. Opponents connected on only 81.9% of Severino’s games in the strike zone in 2017-18 – the league average was 84.7% – but did so at a massive 88.2% clip in 2024 (when the league average was 85.2%).
When the Mets signed Severino to his one-year deal, a move was made for the upper arm of the rotation. Last year’s rebound showed he’s healthy, but it also seems to strongly support his belief that his former ace-caliber is in the rearview mirror. Severino now has the feeling of being the third or fourth starter, making up for his $22.333MM annual salary and an outing.
Many experts thought Severino could have – and should have – accepted the Mets’ $21.05MM qualifying offer; he and his agents deserve credit for not only covering that guarantee in a remarkable way but exceeding that number every year with a long-term deal that gives him another bite at free agency in the 2026-27 offseason. The contract exceeds the latest guarantees of Chris Bassittwho was seen as a strong and reliable arm No. 2-3, too Yusei Kikuchihis strong finish with the Astros made him one of the most sought-after pitchers this offseason. Both pitchers signed for $63MM over the same three-year period.
For the A’s, the heavyweight’s commitment was likely seen as a need to find a swing arm in center field where his speed and ground ball propensity perhaps creates hope that he can still make further progress on his 2024 form. That said, there is an injury risk still associated with Severino, and independent metrics like FIP (4.21) and SIERA (4.22) were actually much smaller in his 2024 performance than the already solid but unspectacular earned run average. There’s no doubt he’s improving the clubhouse and showing the A’s are willing to spend this winter, but it’s a steep price to pay once it’s over.
Severino however will add some credibility to a rotation that has been sorely lacking. Along with the A’s, they have a growing core of elite players — Brent Rooker, Mason Miller, JJ Bleday, Lawrence Butler, Shea Langeliers – I can only hope that the next few additions and improvements from young talents are similar Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom again Zack Gelof it may help them exceed expectations sooner than many thought.
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