A's sign former New York Mets righty

A's get a big arm to bolster their rotation.

Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino (40) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game three of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

What a start to the Athletics new era. With the MLB offseason now in full swing, it is time for the Hot Stove to kick into high gear, with many teams looking to make big splashes in order to help their teams really get over the hump in 2025. And it looks like the A's have started off their first offseason in Sacramento as aggressively as anyone, agreeing to a three-year, $67 million contract with RHP Luis Severino, who spent the 2024 season with the New York Mets.

While not officially confirmed by the team, the contract would be the largest guaranteed deal ever handed out by the Athletics franchise. The previous record was the deal that previous ownership handed out to Eric Chavez at six years, $66 million.

Severino, a two-time All-Star with the New York Yankees in 2017 and 2018, spent the 2024 campaign in Queens with the Mets, and put together a dominant campaign in his first full season back in the big leagues since 2018. In his lone season wearing the blue and orange pinstripes, Severino made 31 starts and posted a 3.91 ERA with 161 strikeouts over 182 innings. In the postseason, Severino was a key piece to the Mets' rotation that helped the team make it all the way to the NLCS.

Signed as an international free agent by the Yankees in 2011, Severino made his MLB debut in 2015 and while he pitched in 33 games combined between 2015 and 2016, Severino did not become a regular fixture to the rotation until 2017, where in 31 starts, he posted a 14-6 record with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts over 193 1/3 innings pitched, earning himself a third place finish in the AL Cy Young Award race, right behind Corey Kluber and Chris Sale.

After putting together another All-Star season in 2018, finishing with a 3.39 ERA in 32 starts with a 19-8 record, Severino's career was soon marred by injuries, dealing with two upper body injuries in 2019 that limited him to only three starts before missing the entirety of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season after getting Tommy John surgery. While back healthier in 2022 and 2023, he still dealt with some injuries, leading to him having a higher walk rate in 2023.

A former high strikeout rate pitcher, Severino's injury history has forced him to be more of a pitch to contact pitcher, and although he hasn't lost much of his velocity, with his fastball still reaching the mid to upper 90s, his strikeout rates have dipped from his previous seasons. In nine years as an MLB pitcher, Severino has a 65-44 record with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 949 strikeouts, doing that all in 909 1/3 innings pitched.