Now we’re past most of the barely-played guys and can finally move on to the major names on the A’s roster this past season. We’ll start at the top of the starting rotation and review staff leader Luis
Severino and his first season in the Green & Gold.
How was he acquired?
Looking to spend some money to keep the MLBPA off of their back for their low payrolls, the front office opened up the checkbook and gave Severino the largest contract in Athletics franchise history, a three-year, $67 million dollar contract with a player option for that third season. If he decides to opt out of the final $22 million then he’d lose that distinction but he could make more than the previous record-high contract that Eric Chavez signed in 2004.
What were the expectations?
The longtime Yankees righty finally left them after the 2023 season, ending his time with the only organization that he’d known after over a decade. But the former top prospect didn’t leave New York, he just went across town and joined the rival Mets on a one-year prove-it deal. He bet on himself and won, turning in a 3.91 ERA across 31 starts. Those appearances were arguably the biggest thing he did for himself after a length injury history with the Pinstripes.
Joining the A’s on the largest contract in franchise history, expectations were clearly very high. The club had dealt with rookie starters for most of the 2024 season and were desperate for a proven veteran. Severino had shown flashes of dominance in the past but was held back by injuries. He finally looked healthy and could not only be the staff leader for the Athletics’ starting rotation, but maybe some of his wisdom from his decade of baseball could rub off on the young pitchers the A’s had in-house. Rotation stability and mentorship for his younger teammates. That is what he was brought in to be.
2025 Results
His first season on the West Coast was definitely a mixed bag. ‘Sevy’ began the year as the Opening Day starter and looked good in an eventual loss, followed by a couple duds. The righty would then fire off four straight quality outings to end the first month of the season, followed by some absolute implosions.
And repeat. More or less the rest of the way through to the end of the season. The high-priced pitcher was maddeningly inconsistent, at one time allowing one or two runs but then getting shelled for eight runs in his next outing. His first half was an especially violent roller coaster as he’d allow five or more runs in eight of his first nineteen starts, but then allow three or less in ten of those outings. He was sporting a 2-11 record and had an ERA above 5 when the All-Star break came around, by which time the A’s were clearly out of the playoff hunt. His name would undoubtedly be in the trade winds as well thanks to some critical comments regarding his new home ballpark, which didn’t endear him to anyone.
That mid-season rest seemed to do wonders for Severino though. The righty came out of the break pitching more like how the A’s had hoped, wining all four games he started immediately after the break. Of course it was just the A’s luck that Sevy would then suffer his first injury with the team, an oblique strain that could have seemingly at the time ended his season. He’d rehab and return to finish the year with his squad though even when there wasn’t much left for the A’s to play for. He made five final starts in September and posted a 3.09 ERA for the month while definitively putting that oblique injury behind him. Sevy would ultimately finish the year with a 4.54 ERA across 29 starts.
2026 Outlook
Severino is under contract with the A’s for the coming season and set to earn $25 million in the second year of his contract. The Athletics got calls on the right-hander during trade season but the team didn’t bite. That’s likely to be happening again this offseason, even with his uneven performance.
The A’s however need all the pitching they can get to support their growing position-player nucleus and it’d take a lot for the front office to consider moving their staff leader. Severino had more than his fair share of blowups and implosions, but on many other occasions he looked like the pitcher the A’s front office wanted to lead their starting rotation during the mid-phase of the rebuild. And with the team’s younger hitters establishing themselves it seems like Severino is here to stay for the winter and likely be the Opening Day starter again, which would be the first since Kendall Graveman did in ‘17-’18.
