Once thought to be the ace of the New York Yankees staff, Luis Severino has failed to find the consistency that earned him a large contract extension going into the 2019 season.
Now officially a free agent, Severino presents himself as a nice bounce-back candidate and perhaps a pitcher who could benefit from a one-year, prove-it deal.
According to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, Severino, who has been rehabbing from an oblique injury, is back to throwing and “is feeling good.” More importantly, there’s been interest from as many as eight teams, per Kuty, and the Yankees aren’t believed to be one of them.
While none of those eight teams are currently known, it’s clear that Severino has a widespread interest, despite his 2023 stat line. This past season, Severino pitched to a 4-8 record with a career-high 6.65 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 19 games (18 starts). That’s a stark contrast from his 2017 and 2018 seasons, in which he was named an All-Star in consecutive seasons, logging 384.2 innings over 63 starts, and pitching to a 3.18 ERA.
It certainly seems like Severino is the type of pitcher that teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or Tampa Bay Rays could put through their car wash and parlay that into an All-Star season. It remains to be seen where Severino will end up this winter, and if he’ll be able to bounce back from a rather poor 2023 campaign.
