Athletics' massive free-agent signing just keeps looking worse for both sides

The severity of the strain isn’t yet known, but anything more than a Grade 1 strain (the least-serious type) could put the remainder of Severino’s 2025 season in jeopardy.  Since the A’s are out of contention, the team might choose to just shut the right-hander down if he’s going to miss anything beyond six weeks of action, as there would be little point in bringing Severino just to make a start or two at season’s end.

Severino’s injury adds another layer to what has been an unusual first season for the veteran’s Athletics tenure.  The A’s shocked many in the baseball world last winter with an uncharacteristic spending splurge when they signed Severino a three-year, $67M free-agent contract.  Even if this deal and other relatively larger expenditures from the A’s were as much about avoiding a grievance from the players’ union as much as they were about improving the roster, on paper, Severino certainly seemed like a solid addition to the club’s pitching staff.

Instead, Severino has a 4.82 ERA over 136 1/3 innings.  While Severino hasn’t missed many bats over his last few seasons, he has allowed far more hard contact this year than he did during his more successful 2024 campaign with the Mets.

The story of Severino’s 2025 season may lie in his home/road splits, as the righty has a 3.17 ERA over 65 1/3 away innings and a garish 6.34 ERA in 71 innings at Sutter Health Park.  Severino has been public about his displeasure with playing in the minor league ballpark, and this reportedly made A’s management eager to trade the righty.  Despite some rumors, no deal was struck prior to the deadline, which isn’t surprising given how the Athletics reportedly weren’t keen on eating much or any of Severino’s salary to accommodate any potential move.

Severino is owed $20M in 2026, and he has a $22M player option for the 2027 season.  Given his feelings about Sutter Health Park, an opt-out might seem like a possibility even if his numbers continue to be uninspiring, which perhaps creates an unusual situation for both the player and the team down the road.  Barring a trade for another team’s unwelcome contract, Severino’s opt-out clause and recent performance would make an offseason move tricky, and this oblique strain now adds another wrinkle to the situation.