3 MLB free agent contracts we’re glad the NY Mets didn’t add to the payroll

2) The Mets were wise not to reunite with Luis Severino on a three-year $67 million deal

The city-less Athletics shocked everyone by forking over $67 million over three years to career New Yorker Luis Severino. With the Mets having holes in their rotation and Severino resurrecting his career in Queens, many thought a reunion was in the cards, the Mets were wise to pass given the price.

Sevy pitched to a 3.91 and 11-7 record en route to a 2.1 fWAR season in 2024, following up on a disastrous 2023 campaign that saw him pitch to a 6.65 ERA. In that lost season he allowed an incredible 2.32 HR/9 with a pitch-tipping issue being the suspected cause of his struggles.

Without a doubt, Severino's 2024 campaign was a solid effort, but Severino's popularity among the fan base has some looking upon the veteran right-hander more fondly than his performance warrants.

For one thing, Severino was noticeably better in the first half of the year than in the second. Before the All-Star break opponents managed a paltry .660 OPS as the Dominican-born hurler posted a 3.78 first-half ERA. Post All-Star break his opponents' OPS rose 91 points to .751 and his ERA in the second half was 4.11.

That's not all that bad, per se, but a $22.3 million AAV is a hefty price tag for a pitcher who eats innings but ran out of gas a bit down the stretch.

As encouraging as his rebound was, it's important to remember that prior to 2024 the last time that Severino was both healthy and productive was in 2018 when he pitched like a legitimate ace for the Yankees. That year, he went 19-8 over 191.1 innings while posting a 3.39 ERA. From 2019 through 2021, he pitched just 18 innings total. He came back in 2022 and was very good with a 3.18 ERA but only logged 102 innings.

His past injury issues combined with 2023's dreadful performance make banking on him to be both healthy and productive over the next three seasons a risky proposition, especially as he enters his age-31 season. For that reason, matching his contract would not have been a wise move for the Mets.