Mets rumors: Luis Severino receiving free agent interest from a Juan Soto suitor

If Juan Soto’s free agency tale is front page news, where do the New York Mets rumors linking them to a reunion with Luis Severino fall? The tight-lipped Mets haven’t let much out in their pursuit of taking things a step further. We can all assume Soto remains their priority with a whole bunch of dominoes to fall after if he signs elsewhere.

Scarce Mets rumors are nothing new, but we did learn a little more about the market for Severino. At least one team views him as a potential target, maybe more so if they are unable to land Soto themselves.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Severino is one of several free agents the Toronto Blue Jays are considering.

The Blue Jays are already considering Juan Soto consolation prizes, one option is Mets free agent Luis Severino

Losing out on Soto is devastating for anyone. Rest assured Blue Jays fans, the front office seems eager to make some sort of splash. After such a disappointing 2024 season, they’re ready to jump right back into the mix for an AL pennant or more.

The pursuit of Severino isn’t directly correlated with whether they sign Soto other than, perhaps, the desire to stick with only one player who rejected the qualifying offer. They’re not a terribly bad match for him. This is a ball club that already employs Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt who are coming off of unspectacular years at a high cost. They traded Yusei Kikuchi at the deadline leaving one open spot. Yariel Rodriguez and Bowden Francis are two candidates to round out the rotation.

Toronto is one of those ball clubs sort of in limbo at the moment. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero is someone they must extend if whiffing on Soto. Multiple high-priced players already on the roster and with enough talent for things to swing their way, bettering the roster for the coming season is a practical expectation for fans. They didn’t gut the team at the trade deadline by selling any of their controllable parts. In a market where several of their pitchers could have netted them some great young talent, they were more conservative than not with how they handled things.

When it comes to the Mets and a Severino return, the organization remains in the driver’s seat. His qualifying offer should make him undesirable for some clubs. Apparently it’s not enough for the Blue Jays to completely dismiss this former AL East foe.

Severino’s market could be one that drags out long because of the Scarlet Letter QO attached to him. If the Blue Jays are ready to make him any sort of fair offer, he might want to take the bag and ask where he needs to initial to make the deal official.