Former Mets pitcher Luis Severino has signed a three-year deal with the A’s, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Thursday.
Passan noted that at $67 million, it’s the largest financial guarantee in A’s history. Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports, who reported the deal at the same time as Passan, added that there’s a $10 million signing bonus. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, there’s an opt-out in Severino’s deal after the second year.
The Mets will receive a pick after the fourth round of the 2025 MLB draft as compensation for Severino signing with the A’s. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com noted that the pick is so low because the Mets are paying a Competitive Balance Tax for previously violating the tax.
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Severino, 30, is coming off a bounceback season with New York. Once a premier pitching talent for the Yankees, Severino had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2020. He pitched well in 2022 before struggling badly in 2023. After he’d spent his entire career with the Yankees thus far, the Mets signed him to a one-year, $13 million “prove it” deal.
Severino responded nicely, giving the Mets 182 innings of 3.91 ERA ball. His strikeout rate was only 8.0 per nine, not quite the 10-plus he put up in his prime, but he was rock solid for a Mets team that made it to the NLCS. He seemed to embrace playing for his previous team’s crosstown rival, joining in on the Mets’ “OMG” fun and quickly becoming liked among the fanbase.
As expected after the good year, though, Severino rejected the qualifying offer and became a free agent. He now heads to a non-New York MLB team for the first time in his career. The A’s, who no longer have “Oakland” attached to their name and will be playing their games at a minor league park in Sacramento this year, went 69-93 in 2024.
