What Are the Pros and Cons of Nationals Pursuing Former New York Mets Ace?

The Washington Nationals are heading into free agency and the offseason looking to improve a young organization.

After winning 71 games in 2024, there are clearly some needs for the Nationals. While they have a ton of young talent in their lineup, they still need to add some power in the middle of their order.

When it comes to pitching, there are some holes in the bullpen after letting both Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey become free agents recently. Also, the starting rotation could use a veteran arm.

With the list of needs for Washington this offseason being somewhat long, there is a lot of work to do for general manager Mike Rizzo.

One starting pitcher who could be a solid option for them in free agency is Luis Severino of the New York Mets. Severino had a nice bounce back season with the Mets and proved he can be a good pitcher in the league after struggling with the New York Yankees in recent years.

While the right-hander isn’t an ace, he could provide value for the Nationals. Here are a few pros and cons for Washington about the 30-year-old starter.

Pros

One of the main pros to signing Severino is that he is coming off a solid season of pitching in the National League East. The right-hander signed a deal with the Mets to prove that he could still be an effective pitcher in the league after struggling with the cross-town rival. In 2024, he did just that. With an (11-7) record and a sub-4.00 ERA, Severino was a big reason why New York made the playoffs last year.

The 30-year-old made a lot of changes to his process of taking care of himself off the field, and it translated to success on the field. His age is certainly a plus compared to a pitcher at the tail end of his career, as there could be plenty of productive years left in his right arm.

Cons

Considering Severino isn’t in the upper tier of starting pitchers in the free-agent market, there are obviously some concerns when it comes to signing him. One issue for him is his durability. While the right-hander pitched in 31 games for the Mets in 2024, it was the first time that he made over 20 starts in a season since 2018. That is a significant gap, and one that should be a concern for the Nationals if they were to sign him.

In addition to the durability issues, there is also some consistency issues on a year-by-year basis, and a game-by-game basis as well. While Severino totaled a solid 3.91 ERA in 2024, he was coming off a year with the Yankees in which he totaled a 6.65 ERA.

For a young Washington team that is going to be inconsistent based on their age and experience, ideally a veteran they brought in would stabilize that.