The Mets Just Signed Luis Severino?

Right-hander Luis Severino and the New York Mets are finalizing a one-year, $13 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Severino, 29, will join the Mets and a rotation in significant need of help after spending his eight-year career with the New York Yankees.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 29, 2023

What are the Mets doing?? As we all wait for the big MLB signings in one of the most boring offseasons ever, the Mets just made the worst move so far. Signing Luis Severino for $13 million is beyond crazy. Severino was a certified bum last season. Severino had a 6.65 ERA in 18 starts/19 games. He was one of the worst, if not the worst, starting pitchers in the MLB last year.

I understand the Mets have no rotational depth, but signing Severino is not the answer. I get it’s a low-risk/high-reward situation, but the Mets don’t need risks. The Mets need dependable pitchers who can eat innings. Severino is the opposite of that. I hope I’m wrong and Severino can return to what he was in 2022, but I highly doubt it. If he does somehow figure it out, he is an injury-prone pitcher.  Also, not that it matters, but the Mets love to sign the Yankees scraps. Severino, Gary Sanchez last year and Dellin Betances in 2020. Hopefully, this time is different.

Severino will go to the back end of the rotation, and as I said, the Mets need help from their starting rotation. Currently, the Mets starting pitchers are Senga, Quintana, Peterson, Megill, and Severino. Senga and Quintana will be in the rotation no matter what. Peterson, Megill, and Severino are the question marks. If all goes well, the Mets will get Yamamoto and have three dependable starters, but because Yamamoto is new to the MLB, they will still need to get two more free-agent pitchers. The Mets have been linked to Eduardo Rodriguez. They could have a decent rotation if the Mets pull off Yamamoto and Rodriguez. And for the bottom of the rotation, you let Megill, Peterson, and Severino fight it out for the spot. 

I will be very critical of this deal because it’s a lot of money for a guy who was horrible last season. It gets me a little scared that the Mets are doing what Max Scherzer told everyone the previous season and that this will be a transition season. But it’s still early in the offseason, and the best free agents still haven’t signed yet. The Mets still have time to use their big pockets and make a splash in free agency. They have a lot of holes, and I can’t wait to see how they fill them (hopefully, it’s better than the hole they filled with Luis Severino.)