Last week, we talked about what the Athletics could end up doing with star starting pitcher Luis Severino. He’s the biggest non-homegrown name on the roster, and holds the record for the largest contract ever handed out by John Fisher and the A’s at three years and $67 million.
In that piece, we talked about Severino turning a corner in the second half of the season and seemingly figuring out how to pitch in West Sacramento, which could set him up for a bounce back season in 2026. There were also rumors that the A’s couldn’t wait to trade Severino at the deadline in a report from Bob Nightengale.
Gearing up for the GM meetings, Nightengale is saying that trade is still on the table. “Severino, who signed a three-year, $67 million contract last winter with the Athletics, has made it clear that he doesn’t like pitching in Sacramento. The A’s have made it clear they don’t like him constantly complaining about it. Both sides are willing to move on.”
We said back in July when the original rumors surfaced, “it’s also worth noting that while Nightengale reported this as being the case from A’s camp, he didn’t attribute a quote to anyone within the organization, or even use a quote at all. There is a chance that this was speculation on Nightengale’s part, given how outspoken Severino has been about pitching in Sacramento. We’re not saying that’s the case, just that it’s a possibility.”
Severino ended up staying with the A’s through the end of the season, so apparently they weren’t too eager to move him.
We also spoke with Severino back in July about some of the comments he’d made about the minor-league ballpark up to that point, and the rumors that the team couldn’t wait to trade him. He said that he’d had a conversation with A’s GM David Forst, who told him that the team is not mad at him because of the comments he’d been making.
Severino said that Forst told him that if he had a problem with something that he said or did, that the GM would discuss it with him one-on-one, not through the media. In talking to Severino about that discussion, it seemed like he had a pretty good relationship with the A’s front office, or at least that the lines of communication were open.
So how real is the latest rumor that Severino could be on the block? Honestly, it doesn’t look like much has changed from the original proclamation. Could it happen? Of course. Both parties likely wouldn’t mind it, either. But at the same time, the situation isn’t a powder keg ready to explode.
But there is more at play with Severino in particular. For starters, they handed him the biggest contract in franchise history for a reason. It was a statement that the club is going to spend money now as they transition into their time with Las Vegas. Trading him away after one season would be a signal that not much has changed.
It also wouldn’t help that the club traded Mason Miller away at the Trade Deadline, so the perception would persist, even if both trades could be seen as good baseball moves.
Trading Severino would also be fairly difficult to pull off, given that he’s now owed $25 million for 2026 after putting up a 4.54 ERA this past season. The A’s would have to eat some of that contract in order to get anything in return, and may even need to attach another player to the deal.
It’s not exactly going to be a winning move no matter how it turns out, so it may actually be better to hold onto him for now and hope for the best.
