**Yankees Interested in Potential Trade for Mets’ Luis Severino**
Luis Severino’s future with the Mets is uncertain, but he may still stay in New York.
Severino has shown significant improvement with a 3.48 ERA over 51 2/3 innings in nine starts. However, with the Mets’ weak 21-25 start, their chances of competing this season look slim, making Severino a valuable trade asset as the July 30 deadline approaches.
In a discussion with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney suggested that the Yankees, who might be seeking an additional starting pitcher, could find Severino a good fit.
“There’s an intriguing name emerging … I saw Luis Severino (on May 12). Tim, he’s improving,” Olney said on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast. “I mentioned to him that he might be like Nathan Eovaldi, who transitioned from a hard thrower to a savvy pitcher with excellent movement.
“After talking with Severino, I think he could follow a similar path. The Yankees might target him because he’s familiar with pitching in New York.”
Even without Gerrit Cole, the Yankees boast a strong 33-15 record and the third-best ERA in baseball at 3.00. While their pitching is solid, they could always use more talented arms.
The Mets made a strategic move in the offseason by signing Severino to a one-year, $13 million contract, recognizing his potential for improvement. Severino was one of the top pitchers in 2017-18, receiving Cy Young votes both years and finishing third in 2017 with a 2.98 ERA over 193 1/3 innings. He also excelled in 2018 with 191 1/3 innings and a 3.39 ERA.
However, his performance declined from 2019-23, pitching only 209 1/3 innings during that period. In 2023, he had his worst season with a 6.65 ERA in 89 1/3 innings.
This season, Severino has been steady but not spectacular. His fastball averages 95.9 mph, and he has added a power sinker to his repertoire, resulting in a career-high 55.8% ground ball rate. Despite this, he has struggled with control, posting his highest walk rate of 10.5% in any season with at least nine starts. His strikeout rate is also lower than usual at 20.1%, slightly up from last year’s 18.9%. His expected ERA is 3.74, and his FIP is 3.97.
“They would bring him back,” Kurkjian noted. “Sure, they would bring him back.”
Leave a Reply