Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Luis Severino Wanted to Stay with Mets But They ‘Had Other Plans’

“At the beginning, I was shocked”

Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Luis Severino won’t be wearing Mets blue when he takes the mound Sunday against his former club, but not by choice.

The right-hander, now with the Oakland Athletics, made it clear this weekend that he had hoped to return to Queens in 2025 after a resurgent season in Flushing. Speaking ahead of the A’s series opener against the Mets in West Sacramento, Severino said he was open to staying in New York, even at a discount.

Luis Severino is through six scoreless innings in his @Athletics debut 😤 #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/D8uvMUZmQ0
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2025

“I was not in their plans,” Severino said Friday.

Severino posted a solid 3.91 ERA across 31 starts for the Mets in 2024 and had expressed interest in signing a two-year, $40 million extension to remain in the fold. The Mets, however, countered with a lower offer, reportedly in the range of the two-year, $34 million deal they gave right-hander Frankie Montas instead.

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“At the beginning, I was shocked,” Severino said of the negotiations.

While Severino was hoping to run it back in Queens, the Athletics swooped in with a far more aggressive offer. Oakland handed him a two-year deal with a player option for 2027 worth up to $67 million, the richest guaranteed contract in A’s franchise history.

Luis Severino talked about his free agency and said he tried to stay with the Mets and asked for less money

"I told my agent I'd stay for 2 years & $40m. What my agent told me the only offer they were going to give me was the same deal they gave [Frankie] Montas (2 years, $34m)" pic.twitter.com/DKu86SqKGb
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 11, 2025

In three starts with the A’s so far, Severino has pitched 19 innings to the tune of a 4.74 ERA, but he’ll have a shot to make a loud statement against the team that let him walk when he takes the mound Sunday at Sutter Health Park.

A familiar face will be in the other dugout: Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who worked with Severino for years during their shared time in the Yankees organization and was reunited with him in Queens in 2024. “On Sunday, he’s going to be geared up, and we’ll be ready for him,” Mendoza said.

In hindsight, Severino might have been useful depth for the Mets, who are now navigating injuries to Montas and left-hander Sean Manaea. But their rotation has still been at the top of their game. Heading into Friday night’s game, Mets starters led the Majors with a sparkling 2.43 ERA.

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Still, Severino can’t help but feel like he had more to give in New York. “At the end, we had different wants,” he said.

Athletics

Luis Severino

Mets

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.