With the Mets playing disappointing baseball and in danger falling out of the Wild Card race during the month of May, many expected the club to be one of the biggest sellers again heading into this year’s trade deadline.
However, with the team drastically turning things around by posting the best record in baseball since the calendar flipped to June, that perception has quickly changed.
While the Mets are back in the hunt, they may still look to deal some of their rental pitchers.
One of their most valuable trade pieces would be Luis Severino, but New York could — and very well should — have other plans for the former All-Star.
After finishing his Yankees career with another injury-plagued and sluggish campaign, Sevy joined the crosstown rivals on a one-year deal, hoping to turn things around and regain some value.
He attended Driveline during the offseason to work through his mechanics, and the results have paid tremendous dividends, as he’s quickly turned his Baseball Savant metrics from blue to nothing but red.
And it’s not just the stats that have improved. The 30-year-old has looked like a completely different pitcher and he’s provided David Stearns and the Mets with tremendous value for his relatively cheap, prove-it pact.
Severino has been pitching to contact more often this season instead of focusing on strikeouts and he’s been leaning on his sinker more than ever before.
The changes have generated positive results, as he’s been able to stay healthy and currently sits 15th in the National League with a 3.29 ERA after another spectacular start last Sunday night in Chicago.
After being bumped up a day for matchup-related reasons, the right-hander was dominant, as he held the Cubs lineup to just three hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters across six shutout innings.
And it wasn’t just that outing, as Severino has been masterful all season, giving New York the top-of-the-rotation arm it’s needed with Kodai Senga still working his way back from a shoulder injury.
If Severino is able to keep this up over the next few months, working out a potential contract extension before he hits the open market again this offseason could be in the best interest of both sides.
It certainly seems like Severino could be open to the idea, as he recently told Tim Healey of Newsday that he’s hoping to remain with the organization through the deadline.
“I want to be here,” he said. “I’ve developed a routine here. I know my teammates here, the pitching coach, everybody who has been helping me. It would be really nice if I stay here.”
The Mets should certainly be in favor of it as well, as Severino has shown over the years that he can handle the pressure of pitching in the Big Apple, and a change of scenery to the other side of town has helped him enjoy a bit of a career renaissance.
With plenty of uncertainty in their starting rotation after this season, there’s no denying that Stearns and the Mets could use another veteran arm to pair alongside Senga and their young talent for the future.
Severino’s contract is a tricky one to project with his boom-or-bust potential. Based on his injury history, a two-year deal with a vesting option based around innings could make sense. But at just 30 years old, he may be looking to secure a guaranteed third or even fourth year.
With him locked up for the near future but still able to hit the open market in search of a payday at either 32 or 33 years old, that seems like a relatively reasonable scenario for both sides.
As we know, a lot can change over the course of the next few months, but if Severino can keep this up he just might pitch his way right into the Mets’ future plans.
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post