Free-agent starting pitcher Luis Severino is unlikely to accept the New York Mets’ one-year, $21 million qualifying offer, all but guaranteeing that he will hit the open market this winter, as first reported by Will Sammon of The Athletic.
The decision does not come as all that large of a surprise. The 30-year-old Severino is coming off a resurgent first season in Queens with the Mets where he went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA and 161 strikeouts.
His 182 innings of work were the most he has thrown since 2018 — his last All-Star campaign with the Yankees before his career was ultimately derailed by injuries. In 2023, Severino had his worst year as a pro, battling injuries and pitch-tipping issues while posting a bloated 6.65 ERA in 89.1 innings.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took a chance on Severino and it ultimately paid off. With Kodai Senga down for all of five innings during the regular season, Severino helped create a serviceable tandem with Sean Manaea atop the rotation which helped the team advance to its first NLCS in nine years.
Given the uncertainties that have littered Severino’s career, the security of a multi-year deal is the obvious preference, hence the expected decision to turn down the one-year qualifying offer. Should he sign elsewhere, the Mets will now be rewarded with a compensatory draft pick.
Severino’s offseason path is just one aspect of a winter that should provide considerable change to the Mets’ rotation. Manaea and Jose Quintana are also free agents — the former expected to receive a more aggressive pursuit from Stearns.
New York could also be connected to notable free-agent starting pitchers like Corbin Burnes, who worked with Stearns in Milwaukee. Granted, Stearns is not known to dole out big-time, multi-year deals for arms. That philosophy could potentially change, though, with the backing of owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets.
