The Athletics shocked the baseball world on Thursday when they announced a significant free agent signing: they inked former New York Mets right-hander Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal with an opt-out clause after the second campaign.
Luis Severino’s departure to Oakland came as a surprise
It’s shocking to see the A’s handing out that kind of cash to a hurler, but pitching was (and still is) one of their top priorities and areas of need. It’s still a bit disappointing that they chose not to spend at all for years while they were in Oakland.
Were the Mets in the race to bring back Severino? How far were they willing to go? The interest was there, but the bidding apparently went out of hand as the A’s wanted to make a statement signing.
“The Mets were interested in bringing Luis Severino back, but his price tag climbed too high as he agreed to a three-year, $67M deal with the Athletics,” SNY posted on X with Andy Martino’s analysis.
The Mets drew a line in Severino’s market
Martino emphasized that while the Mets wanted Severino, they were not willing to pay top dollar for every starter they put their eyes on. Basically, they drew a line and weren’t willing to cross it.
Severino was awful for the New York Yankees in 2023 in an injury-marred campaign, so the Mets got a chance to get him relatively cheap for the 2024 campaign. After agreeing to a one-year, $13 million pact with the Mets before the 2024 season, Severino had quite a bounce-back campaign with a 3.91 ERA in 182 frames, adding 161 strikeouts to his stat line.
Severino went to X and wrote a heartfelt message to the Mets and their fans after helping him get his career back on track:
“Thank you new york @mets fans for all the support all year long. Thank you Mets staff and front office for everything. I will forever be grateful for an incredible season,” he said.
Mets fans have fond memories of Severino being part of a team that went all the way to the National League Championship Series. Both parties have now decided to go their separate ways.
