The New York Mets are in a bind. They are a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and have lost seven of their last 10 games. Believe it or not, that's actually an improvement from some of their most recent chaos. New York held a players-only meeting on Saturday night to try and address their problems. Another early deficit against the Pittsburgh Pirates appears to have answered the question as to whether that meeting had any lasting impact.
New York needs starting pitching. Injuries to some of their frontline starters like Frankie Montas, Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea will hurt them in the short and long term. Griffin Canning just went down with what looked to be a serious ailment. A solution could be sitting in Sacramento, and forced to play at a minor-league stadium. Yes, former Met Luis Severino, who left on a surprising three-year, $67 million contract from the Athletics this winter, could return sooner than expected.
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Luis Severino will be traded by the Athletics
Severino has not pitched well in the A's little league park, but he has thrown well on the road. This is a sign that Sevy could use a change of scenery, and his current team is pretty much begging any interested party to take him on a discount. David Stearns ought to take the A's up on that offer. Here is what Bob Nightengale had to say about the matter.
"The Athletics, who gave starter Luis Severino a three-year, $67 million contract, now can’t wait to trade him after he continues to bash the environment in Sacramento, agitating the organization. He’s 0-7 with a 6.79 ERA in 10 starts in Sacramento and 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA in seven starts on the road," Nightengale wrote.
That sounds like a terrible investment, and one that never made sense in the first place. John Fisher cried poor and left Oakland in the dust. He recently broke ground with rented material on a Las Vegas stadium, though there is little evidence that'll ever get built. He cannot afford to pay Severino $67 million for this kind of production, and Sevy is clearly feeling the heat.
"It’s not hard for me to focus here,’’ Severino said. “For me, I have to do my job. If [a trade] happens, it happens. I’ll be ready. My main thing is being healthy.”
The Mets should trade for Luis Severino
Severino is healthy, as far as we know, but he hasn't pitched well at home. His ERA on the road, as Nightengale pointed out, is vastly different. Sevy has also taken some shots at the ballpark in Sacramento, which is clearly not built for MLB games. When asked about a return to the Mets, Severino admitted it'd be an intriguing possibility.
“It’s not up to me. They were great to me last year, so if it happened, I definitely won’t say no, but it’s about whatever [the A’s] need," Severino noted.
The A's do not need Severino, who is an overpriced veteran thanks to a contract he never should've signed. Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone, and Severino is finding that lesson out the hard way.
The Mets can provide an answer, as Sevy had a 1.7 WAR and 3.91 ERA in Queens last season.