Mets free agent contracts: 1 bargain, 1 overpay, and 1 that'll be just right

The Luis Severino contract will be just right

The Luis Severino deal was puzzling early in the offseason. It felt like a lot of money to pay a guy who hasn’t been very healthy for several years. Coming off of a miserable 2023 campaign, handing him $13 million seemed extreme.

But that’s the market for pitchers at his level. Plenty of worse pitchers got paid around the same. Ex-teammate Frankie Montas who has been missing in action even more in the last two years received more guaranteed money from the Cincinnati Reds. If you’re thinking about a career change, mediocre free agent starting pitcher is one that can give you generational wealth.

The Mets will need to hope last year’s implosion by Severino is one giant hiccup in his career. In 2022 when he made 19 starts for the New York Yankees, he was actually really good. Which version of him shows up for the Mets?

Keeping him healthy will ultimately help decide his legacy in Queens. The two-time All-Star pitched only 18 innings from 2019-2021. A $13 million price tag is certainly extreme for the average person, but in MLB it fits closely to the 3.79 ERA he has posted in his career. Doing this, slightly better, or even a little worse will have us feeling as if his contract was like the baby bear’s bed, just right.