thelesterlee
Luis Severino came into the offseason with a problem.
At 30 years old, he went into last season with the New York Mets giving him a chance to prove he can still pitch at a high level.
He changed the way he pitched, leaning more on early groundball outs instead of trying to overpower hitters and getting his fastballs sent out of the Milky Way.
He pitched 182 innings in 2024, his first time pitching more than 105 innings since 2018.
But Severino was asking teams for a lot of grace. This was his last chance to get a big long-term contract while teams are wondering if 2024 was the first and last time Severino would be healthy.
The Athletics came into the offseason with a problem.
As their new Las Vegas stadium takes form, the A’s will play their 2025 home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento: Home of the Sacramento River Cats, your 2019 AAA champions.
The A’s need to spend some dollars to stay in the MLB revenue share, siphoning off free dollars earned by the Yankees and Dodgers.
Teams must hit a salary floor threshold to join the revenue share and the A’s have the lowest payroll but might have a tough time recruiting guys to come play in the Sacramento River Cats house.
Breaking: Right-hander Luis Severino and the Athletics are in agreement on a three-year, $67 million deal, sources tell @YahooSports. The deal includes a $10 million signing bonus. It is the largest free-agent contract in franchise history. Severino, who had a big bounce-back…
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) December 5, 2024
*wipes hands clean* problem solved.
Luis Severino signed a 3-year $67 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus, making this the biggest signing in the history of the franchise that has intentionally tanked their on-field product to sneak away to Vegas.
The A’s lost 93 games last season and they’re giving away a much-needed draft pick to the Mets.
Is there any chance for Luis Severino to succeed with the A’s?
I don’t think the A’s are at the development stage people perceive them to be.
Lately, it feels like new powerhouse baseball clubs pop out of nowhere because we’re mostly focused on our favorite teams without paying attention to the trends of the random bottom feeders but the A’s are not void of talent.
Their DH, Brent Rooker, finished 10th in MVP voting this season.
Brent Rooker – Oakland Athletics (38)
pic.twitter.com/bfz8oGjFWi— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) September 17, 2024
Rooker hit 39 bombs with 112 RBIs and a .293 batting average.
Rooker will be 30 this season so I guess they’re not building around him but outfielder, Lawrence Butler, is 23 and quietly may become the game’s next star.
#Athletics Lawrence Butler is batting .433/.486/.985 with 19 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 9 home runs, 26 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over his last 162 games played. pic.twitter.com/d2orgsiSLd
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) July 26, 2024
The A’s might be moving to Las Vegas as winners, which would be the first time anyone’s ever done that.
A buddy of mine just moved to Las Vegas this year. I would not describe him as a “winner”.
This Luis Severino may be more than just tax fraud.
The Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics may become a problem sooner than anyone expects.
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