Report: Mets to sign Luis Severino to a one-year, $13M contract

The Mets began the retooling of their rotation by adding the former Yankee as he looks to rebound in 2024

The Mets began their pitching staff reconstruction effort on Wednesday, agreeing to sign free agent RHP Luis Severino to a one-year, $13 million contract, according to multiple reports.

The deal is pending a physical.

Severino, 30, endured the first performance trial of his career in 2023 as he battled both injury and underperformance with the Yankees. He went 4-8 with a 6.65 ERA in 19 starts, allowing 113 hits and an alarming 23 home runs in only 89.1 IP for the Yankees this past season. He missed the final part of the season with an oblique injury, cascading an already complicated injury history which includes shoulder problems and Tommy John Surgery.

Severino did have a strong 2022 season, albeit in limited duty when he pitched to a 3.18 ERA over 102 innings in 19 starts for the Yankees.

However, after a poor 2023 season Severino was clearly in a difficult position as he entered free agency. It comes as no surprise that Severino signed a “prove it” deal, and the Mets will be betting he does just that as he endeavors to both stay healthy and return to the form that once made him one of the best starting pitchers in the American League and a key cog in numerous playoff teams for the Yankees.

For the Mets specifically, Severino appears to project as a back-of-the-rotation starter with a bet on that aforementioned upside. He should help round out the back side of their rotation, which could potentially displace Tylor Megill and turn him into either depth or a bullpen piece, something the Mets have considered for him in the past.

The club will still need to sign at least one top-of-the-rotation starter and potentially another starter who has a proven track record of durability and stability, such as Jordan Montgomery. If they’e able to acquire a Montgomery and perhaps even Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the risk of signing Severino drastically reduces while the high upside remains extremely tantalizing.

In addition, the Mets have a lot of work to do in their bullpen, including but not limited to finding multiple late inning, swing-and-miss relievers.

But the procurement of Severino and the upside he has is an early, albeit modest first step in that effort to retool the entire pitching staff.