MESA, Ariz. -- The Athletics¡¯ selection for their Opening Day starter was the worst-kept secret in baseball.
In December, when the A¡¯s held a press conference in Sacramento to officially introduce Luis Severino after signing him to a three-year, $67 million contract, general manager David Forst let the cat out of the bag while discussing the right-hander¡¯s experience and leadership.
¡°This was the perfect guy for us to come in and lead the staff,¡± Forst said. ¡°Use what he learned pitching in very big markets to take the mound Opening Day in Sacramento.¡±
There was just one issue with that statement. The A¡¯s will not play their first game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento -- their temporary home for at least the next three seasons -- until the fourth game of the regular season. Could Forst have misspoke? Was he actually referencing the team¡¯s home opener?
Manager Mark Kotsay had played coy throughout Spring Training when asked to confirm the Opening Day starter. On Monday, it became official: Severino will open up the 2025 season for the A¡¯s by taking the mound on March 27, when they take on the Mariners at T-Mobile Park at 7:10 p.m. PT.
¡°Breaking news,¡± Kotsay said with a grin. ¡°Sevy will take the mound for us in Seattle on the 27th. This is a player we targeted this offseason as someone who can come in here and have an impact on and off the field. We¡¯re really excited about that.¡±
Severino, who gets his second Opening Day assignment and first since 2018 with the Yankees, bounced back last year with the Mets following a string of injury-riddled seasons in pinstripes by posting a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts with 161 strikeouts in 182 innings and leading New York to two wins in the playoffs.
¡°I¡¯m proud to be back in this position again,¡± Severino told MLB.com in Spanish. ¡°It¡¯s indicative of the year I had last year. All that hard work I put in, this is a reward. I¡¯m very appreciative to have this opportunity and I plan to take advantage of it.¡±
While he showcased a four-seamer that averaged 96.2 mph in 2024, Severino is a much different pitcher from the young electric arm who finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2017. This 31-year-old version of Severino is a lot more polished, having evolved from a hard thrower to a true pitcher who relies more on soft contact than whiffs to get hitters out with an excellent sweeper against which opponents hit .139 last season.
¡°The only difference from 2018 to now is the maturity I have,¡± Severino said. ¡°Back then, I was young and the recovery time was faster. Now, I have to do more things to keep my body feeling right. But the passion and desire to compete is the same. I¡¯m just hoping to give the best of myself on Opening Day.¡±
Severino will be followed by some order of JP Sears, Jeffrey Springs and Osvaldo Bido in the rotation. The fifth spot will come down to either Joey Estes or Mitch Spence, both of whom ended last season in the A¡¯s rotation and have been stretching out as starters this spring.
For the A¡¯s, Severino represented a symbol of change for the franchise this offseason. Shifting out of a rebuilding phase over the previous three years, the A¡¯s made a statement early in free agency by signing Severino to the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history. Later, they traded for another veteran starter in Springs, added veteran third baseman Gio Urshela and reliever Jos¨¦ Leclerc as free agents, and handed out contract extensions to Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Kotsay.
After ending the 2024 season by going 39-37 over their final 76 games, the A¡¯s believe they have a young team on the rise that is ready to compete for the playoffs in 2025. A large part of that belief stems from their confidence in Severino, who will enter the season as their frontline starter and leader of the staff for this year and beyond.
¡°We¡¯ve built him up to where he¡¯ll give us the best opportunity to go out and win,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°It¡¯s fun to watch him interact with the guys. It¡¯s a quiet kind of leadership, but it¡¯s one that I can see growing and growing as he continues his career here.¡±