Former Yankees starter signs with A's, confirming he was never serious about winning

Another free agent domino has fallen, and it involved a former New York Yankee heading down the road of irrelevancy. And it might have affected the Bombers' endeavors in the starting pitching market.

Luis Severino has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $67 million contract with the Athletics, which is the largest free agent contract in the franchise's history. He rejected the qualifying offer from the New York Mets and then got triple the money.

Good on him for maximizing his value, but this now continues a trend since the day he left the Yankees — Severino never cared about winning.

The A's are one of the league's laughingstocks and this is a never-before-seen occurrence of a star player spurning contenders for a small-market team that has made the playoffs just three times since 2015 (and made it past the Wild Card round just once).

Dating back to Sevy's Yankees days, he might've been the most disappointing player in recent memory. He was a two-time All-Star in 2017 and 2018, and then completely fell off a cliff. From forgetting the start time of a playoff game to failing to report injury symptoms to pitching in just seven games across three seasons to various blowups with the organization, Severino finally departed the Yankees after a run from 2015-2023.

He signed with the Mets for one year and admitted the key difference between the two franchises is that "there's less pressure" to win in Queens, which he partially explained was a reason for his success in 2024.

Former Yankees All-Star Luis Severino signs with Athletics in free agency

Throw in some unwarranted trash talk directed at the Yankees, and he showed that either he's been wildly misinterpreted or that he grew disillusioned in the Bronx, given the toll on his body and disagreements with the front office.

The A's are currently relocating and will be playing in Sacramento until their stadium is built in Las Vegas — and Severino might not even be there by the time that happens, given the length of his contract and the uncertainty of the construction plans (there's an opt-out present after Year 2).

All told, Severino, since the day he left the Yankees, felt relieved to have expectations removed from his shoulders, and was grateful for an atmosphere devoid of pressure with the Mets. Apparently, perhaps that was too much, and he downgraded to arguably the lowest of low, signing with a team that has a neglectful owner, no true home, and zero championship aspirations.

Best of luck, Sevy. Enjoy flaming the Yankees in a random August game to improve the A's to 15 games below .500.