The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in everyone, and Luis Severino is no exception.
Throughout his 10 seasons in the big leagues, the 30-year-old right-handed pitcher has never pitched for a team outside New York City. He spent nine seasons with the New York Yankees from 2015 until 2023, before signing a one-year deal with the New York Mets before the 2024 season.
After declining the Mets’ qualifying offer, which means losing a draft pick for any team signing him, Severino is once again on the market and is one of the best mid-tier pitchers available.
Let’s dive into his stats, contract outlook, and whether or not he’s a fit for the Blue Jays.
Luis Severino’s stats
Last season was a good bounce-back year for the Dominican righty. With the Mets, he posted a 3.91 ERA and a 4.21 FIP in 182 innings pitched, with a 21.2 K% and a 7.9 BB%. The Miracle Mets reached the National League Championship Series, and the 30-year-old made three starts with a 3.24 ERA and a 4.43 FIP in 16.2 innings pitched.
Luis Severino, Filthy 86mph Sweeper. 😷
4th K pic.twitter.com/dTGyGR1W9K
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 6, 2024
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Simply put, it was a much better season for Severino after a disastrous 2023, where he had a 6.65 ERA and a 6.14 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched with the Yankees. In 2022, he pitched 102 innings with a 3.18 ERA and a 3.70 FIP, but missed the majority of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons, pitching just 18 innings in those three years.
This is a far cry from his early career where he looked like the next Yankees ace. In 2017, Severino had a 2.98 ERA and a 3.07 FIP in 193.1 innings pitched, with a 29.4 K% and a 6.5 BB% for a career-best 5.6 fWAR. His 2018 was great as well, as the righty finished that year with a 3.39 ERA and a 2.95 FIP in 191.1 innings pitched, with a 28.2 K%, a 5.9 BB%, and a 5.4 fWAR.
He never developed into an ace, but he’s a great middle-of-the-rotation starter.
Luis Severino’s contract outlook
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicts he’ll earn a two-year, $32 million deal worth $16 million a season. Comparable contracts to this include Chris Bassitt, Miles Mikolas, Seth Lugo, Zach Eflin, Lucas Giolito, Marcus Stroman, Nathan Eovaldi, and Reynaldo López. This is what you’d expect from a #3 in the rotation.
Spotrac has Severino’s market value higher than Bowden, as it sits at $21.4 million a season. Over four years, he’d make about $85.462 million with similar contracts to Eduardo Rodríguez, Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, and Yusei Kikuchi.
Is Luis Severino a fit for the Blue Jays
With interest in Max Fried, it’s safe to say that the Blue Jays would like to add a starting pitcher. Trading Yusei Kikuchi left them two inexperienced pitchers in the rotation (Bowden Francis and Yariel Rodríguez), and signing a player like Severino would push Rodríguez to the bullpen, dealing with two birds with one stone.
Ideally, you’d want a left-handed starter to sign, as José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and Francis are all righties, but Severino is one of the best mid-tier starters on the market. If the Jays miss out on Fried, Severino would be a nice consolation prize.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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