Elephant Rumblings: Sevy Staying Put?

SB Nation

Morning everyone and happy Monday!

The Winter Meetings are getting underway down in Florida this week and the A’s are there likely hoping to land a player or two before the week is out. That may come via

free agency, but these meetings also set the foundation for future moves and trades down the line. Even if the club walks away without any pen to paper, they’re up to something this week that’s for sure.

Over the weekend we got a little nugget of news regarding our A’s. Specifically, starting pitcher Luis Severino may indeed be sticking around for another year as The Athletic reports that the team is more inclined to stick with Severino for another year at the top of the rotation.

It makes sense. The club has a young group of starters coming up but having a veteran around is always helpful. They can provide guidance and be a good example of how to prepare each and every day when they come to the ballpark. Sevy had an up and down first year with the A’s but looked especially good in the second half. Granted the team was long gone from contention at that point but it was still an encouraging sign that he’s got more in the tank.

The report indicates that any Severino trade wouldn’t be a pure salary dump. The club doesn’t have much in the way of long-term commitments and his salary is the biggest on the club so it’s not like the A’s are desperate for salary relief. Frankly the MLBPA is still probably not happy with the low spending this club has and continues to operate on. If the team gets an interesting offer with a top prospect on the table, sure, you have to listen to offers. But the front office has to know that it can’t just dump money off the books in the name of saving cash. It’d take an actual trade involving top prospects to get something going on Severino.

We’ll see what happens this week down in Florida. Should be lots of news coming soon. Have a great week everyone!

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