Yankees make decision on Luis Severino’s 2023 option

The New York Yankees are retaining the majority of their starting pitching rotation for the 2023 season. On Friday afternoon, general manager Brian Cashman spoke to the media regarding a myriad of different topics, one of which focused on starting pitcher Luis Severino and the club option the team has for next year.

The Yankees had an easy decision with Luis Severino:

Severino signed a four-year, $40 million deal in 2019, but it seems as if the Yankees will pick up his $15 million club option for 2023. The 28-year-old starter is coming off a bounce-back campaign after barely pitching the past three seasons. He tossed 102 innings of ball, posting a 3.18 ERA, 3.38 xFIP, 9.88 strikeouts per nine, and an 80% left-on-base rate.

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Severino also recorded a 44.3% ground ball rate, winning seven games and picking up three losses. During the playoffs, he struggled a bit recording a 4.91 ERA but looks good enough for the Yankees to help him out with some run production, which they obviously failed to do.

While his velocity is down a bit compared to his prime years in 2017 and 2018, he is still an incredibly efficient and effective pitcher following all the injuries. The Yankees had no doubt they would be picking up the option on his contract, locking down the middle of the rotation for the future.

However, the team is gearing up to lose Jameson Taillon to free agency, so they could either plug the No. 5 slot with Domingo German or look to sign a cheaper player with upside.