Three Reasons Why Luis Severino Will Turn Things Around in 2026
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Last offseason, the A's signed Luis Severino to a then-franchise record three year, $67 million contract, and in his first year with the club he struggled. It was well documented that he had a hard time not being able to go into the clubhouse when he wasn't pitching, which took him out of his routine at home.
That is why he held a 3.02 ERA on the road, and a 6.01 ERA at Sutter Health Park. Other pitchers that came to town said the mound was too hard, which made it difficult to push off during their delivery. Either way, the results were what they were for the ace of the staff.
The hope is that this season, Severino will be more in line with the pitcher the A's hoped they were signing last winter. Here are three reasons why that will be the case, and why Severino will be the leader of this staff in 2026.
Severino's opt out
Severino is set to make $25 million dollars this season, and next offseason he'll have an opportunity to opt out of his contract with the A's. He's slated to be paid $22 million if he opts in, so he'll have to perform well enough this coming year to feel good that he'd be able to beat that AAV elsewhere.
The other piece of that equation could also be that the A's front office would be able to find a suitor willing to take on the money that's owed to him if he was pitching better overall. In other words, if he pitches better, he can both make more money in free agency and leave Sacramento if he so chooses, or play well enough to get traded.
The incentive to have a platform season is certainly there, and he was throwing the ball well enough last season that there is belief he'll be able to turn things around in 2026.
Ballpark upgrades, familiarity
Back in December, it was reported that the A's would be adding a new "Severino Room," a place for pitchers to go when they're not on the mound. It's said to be within both the home and away dugouts, which are already a little cramped, but we'll have to see how that works out when the season begins.
While it may not be the full experience of the clubhouse, Severino will have a place to go and unwind when the A's are batting.
The other key for Severino will be that he's familiar with the ballpark now. A number of players, including Jeffrey Springs, have noted that it was difficult to get into the right mindset at Sutter Health when the season began, but they eventually got there and that could be correlated with why the team took off in the second half.
Second half numbers
In the middle of July, Severino started throwing his fastball more often and saw some great results. He missed some time in the second half of the season, and seemingly made all of his starts on the road during that stretch, but in his final four home starts of the year, he ended up holding a 3.00 ERA across 21 innings.
It's not a huge sample size, and an entire offseason will have passed before he takes the mound in Sacramento again, but it seems telling that his ERA over this period was right in line with his road ERA on the season.
If he's able to be effective both at home and on the road, then he's going to be the pitcher the A's went out and signed last offseason. The projections have him holding a 4.51 ERA (4.55 FIP), which is right in line with where he finished last season. He also ended up with a 4.11 FIP a year ago, leaving even more hope that he can turn things around.
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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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