Luis Severino may not make it through the entire season with the Mets. But this does not imply he will leave New York.
When you combine the way he has rebuilt himself — 3.48 ERA in nine starts, 51 2/3 innings — with the Mets’ 21-25 start, which points to a team that will struggle to contend this season, Severino might become a major trade asset at the July 30 deadline.
In an interview with ESPN baseball reporter Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney mentioned Severino as a possible candidate for the Yankees’ starting rotation.
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“So there’s an interesting name emerging there… But I saw Luis Severino on May 12. Tim’s better than he was, and he’s improving,” Olney said on Friday’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast. “I told him that you might be like Nathan Eovalidi, where you had a fantastic arm in the beginning of your career but learned how to put it together over time. Eovaldi, as you know, went from being this Iron Mike man who threw at 100 miles per hour… to now be a good and intelligent pitcher in terms of ball movement.
“Just after speaking with Severino, I believe he may be that guy. So I’m wondering whether that’s a person the Yankees want because he knows how to pitch in New York.”
The Yankees are 33-15 without Gerrit Cole, and their rotation has baseball’s third-best ERA (3.00). Pitching has not been an issue, but organizations will never turn down too many talented arms.
The Mets struck early in the winter by signing Severino to a one-year, $13 million contract, recognizing him as a fixable and potentially valuable pitcher. In 2017-18, Severino was among baseball’s finest pitchers. He garnered Cy Young votes in both seasons and finished third in 2017 with a 2.98 ERA in 193 1/3 innings. He followed up with 191 1/3 innings and a 3.39 ERA in 2018.
However, health, availability, and efficacy have declined since those days. From 2019 to 23, Severino pitched only 209 1/3 innings. In 2023, Severino had his poorest season on the mound, posting a 6.65 ERA in 89 1/3 innings.
Severino has been good rather than outstanding this season. While Severino still has powerful stuff (his fastball averages 95.9 mph), he has evolved into a new pitcher, emphasizing a power sinker with his four-seam fastball to achieve a career-best 55.8% ground ball rate. He has battled to control his stuff, with a 10.5% walk rate, the highest of his career in a season with at least nine starts. His strikeout rate is the second-lowest at 20.1%, up from 18.9% last season. His projected ERA is 3.74, and his FIP is 3.97.
“They would bring him back,” Kurkjian stated. “Sure, they would bring him back.”
