With trade rumors swirling, can Luis Severino recoup value for Athletics?

The Athletics signed starting pitcher Luis Severino to a franchise-record deal in the offseason. Can the Athletics now find more value in trading him?

According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, the Athletics are done with Severino's complaints about playing in Sacramento and "can’t wait to trade him." Severino has made his feelings very clear about the conditions in Sacramento, both on the field and in the stands, comparing the regular-season games for the Athletics to spring training games.

For a franchise that is expected to stay in Sacramento until a new stadium is projected to open in Las Vegas in 2028, portraying their current home in a negative light appears to be a deal-breaker, even when it comes from a pitcher who inked a three-year, $67 million deal and was thought to be a key piece of their rotation while in Sacramento.

Severino's thoughts on playing in Sacramento have translated to fascinating home and road splits as well this season. The 31-year-old right-hander has posted a career 3.91 ERA during his 10-year MLB career, including an overall 4.83 ERA in 100.2 innings over 17 starts this season.

However, diving deeper into the stats reveals that Severino's 10 starts in Sacramento are greatly skewing his numbers. In those 57.0 innings, Severino has logged a 6.79 ERA. Away from Sacramento, Severino looks like a completely different pitcher, throwing 43.2 innings over seven starts and compiling a 2.27 ERA.

It's those numbers that are most intriguing to teams that are looking at potentially adding Severino before this year's MLB trade deadline. Among the teams watching Severino, according to Nightengale, are the Chicago Cubs.

The question for the Athletics now becomes if and when to pull the plug on the Severino experiment and what kind of return the franchise can get for a player who was expected to be one of the faces of the team over the next three seasons. The Athletics are already battling optics during a transitory time between Oakland and Las Vegas, so what does it say to others when a big name has so much negative to say about their current home?

The Athletics are already building for the future, and adding potential prospects who can help once the team gets to Las Vegas can certainly be a plus. But at what level will Severino's attitude impact what other teams are willing to pay to bring him on board? Will rivals hedge their potential offers knowing the Athletics are reportedly eager to jettison Severino?

Severino is scheduled to take the mound on Sunday in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. It's a place where he pitched for eight seasons, so he should feel at home. But will he perform better than he did when he faced the Yankees in Sacramento, giving up nine hits and eight runs in four innings on May 11?

The answer to that and the results he posts against the current American League East leaders could give other franchises an idea of just how much they can and should pay if they're willing to make a deal with the Athletics and end what has been a head-shaking start to Severino's time in Sacramento.