Luis Severino Thrives in Final Start Before Trade Deadline
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A's veteran right-hander Luis Severino had just two wins in the first half of the season. In his first three starts out of the break, he's picked up three wins, pushing his record on the year to 5-11.
On Tuesday night in Sacramento, he faced a familiar foe--the pitching rubber at Sutter Health Park, stumbling on back-to-back pitches in the first inning.
These quotes should be interesting.
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Severino falls not once, but twice. pic.twitter.com/catCgQBWSS
The A's right-hander would recover to strike out the side in the first, allowing a walk and a single in the mix as well. At one point, Severino sat down ten Seattle Mariners in a row before facing some trouble in the fourth inning. With two away, the veteran gave up a single to Randy Arozarena, who would steal second and secure his fifth straight 20-20 season.
Jorge Polanco followed that up with an RBI single, followed by a Dominic Canzone single and a Ben Williamson walk that loaded the bases. The A's ace gave up a hard-hit ball to Cole Young up the middle, but the recently called up Darell Hernaiz made a terrific stop behind second and flipped the ball to first to end the threat, and the inning.
Despite pitching well up to that point, Severino's pitch count had climbed quickly, putting him at 82 through four. He'd give up a double to Julio Rodríguez in the fifth, but no further damage, and he'd exit with a 4-1 lead. The A's would quickly add two more to their lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Shea Langeliers solo homer and a Miguel Andujar RBI double.
Severino finished the game with five innings of work, allowing five hits, one earned run, walking two, and striking out six. His ERA on the season drops to 4.83, and in three post-All Star starts he's 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA across 17 innings of work. He also dropped his home ERA from 6.68 entering Tuesday's game, to 6.04 after his performance.
Severino yet again let his fastball eat, using it 44% of the time, which has been a key for him during his turnaround in the second half.
The larger question coming out of this start for Severino is whether or not other teams will be clamoring to trade for him ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. He's owed $25 million in 2026, which isn't likely to help his market, though his road stats and recent performance could sway a club.
If the A's were to eat a bit of that contract, perhaps as much as $7-10 million, then they may be able to land a worthwhile prospect. On the other hand, perhaps the A's hold onto him and see how the rest of the season plays out. If he's able to continue pitching at home like he did against the Mariners, then that could be a player the A's may actually want on their team in 2026.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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