In a perfect world, New York Yankees‘ homegrown starting pitcher, Luis Severino, would be situated alongside Gerrit Cole as an ace. Now 29 years old, Severino was on track to be one of the best pitchers in baseball before injuries dismantled his production and consistency.
After a bounce-back 2022 season where he tossed 102 innings, posting a 3.18 ERA, 3.70 FIP, including 9.88 strikeouts per nine, a 44.3% ground ball rate, and a 65.9% left on base rate, he was unable to compound on that success in 2023. Over 89.1 innings, Severino hosted a 6.65 ERA, enjoying a career low in strikeouts and his highest walk rate with a minimum of 20 innings.
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The Yankees Needed to Move on
Unfortunately, the Yankees had no choice but to move on from Severino, who signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Mets on Wednesday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Mets’ starting rotation needed serious help after trading away two top pitchers at the deadline this past year. Unfortunately, Sevy’s eight-year tenure with the Yankees will come to an end, a time littered with injury but also some marquee moments that will the fans with a bit of nostalgia.
The Yankees had an opportunity to offer him a one-year extension, but it seems as though they may bring back Frankie Montas, who is one year older at 30.
Montas is coming off a 2023 season where he battled a shoulder injury that required surgery, pitching just 1.1 innings. However, he’s coming off a solid year with the Oakland Athletics prior to being traded.
Across 104.2 innings, Montas enjoyed a 3.18 ERA. If the Bombers do ink Montas to a prove-it deal, the hope is that they also land a top free agent like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who they are incredibly interested in.