As the old saying goes, “you can never have too much pitching.”
For that, the New York Yankees should be looking to upgrade their staff in the offseason, regardless of their postseason outcome in October.
The one that got away for the Yankees, former ace Luis Severino, has had a significant amount of success for the cross-town rival New York Mets this season.
Severino, who is finally healthy, has gone 11-6 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 178 innings across 30 starts (most since 2018).
The 30-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his big-league career with the Yankees and was an All-Star in back-to-back campaigns in 2017 and 2018. However, a number of different injuries derailed Severino’s career before the Mets got him back on track in 2024.
Severino signed a one-year, $13 million prove it deal with the Mets, which has paid dividends. It also means he will once again hit the free agent market following the season.
The Yankees have some tough decisions to make with superstar outfielder Juan Soto set to become a free agent and ace Gerrit Cole having an opt-out in his contract. Soto will clearly be the Yankees top priority, and the team can add an extra year at $36 million to the end of Cole’s deal to keep him with the club.
After handling Soto and Cole, the Yankees can shift their focus to adding to their pitching staff and a reunion with Severino makes sense.
According to spotrac, Severino is projected to receive a deal around four-years, $48 million. Even if they retain Soto and Cole, this is an affordable contract for the Yankees to bring back their former ace.
Severino has played in New York for his entire professional career. It shouldn’t take too much convincing if the Yankees want to bring him back this offseason.
