ESPN insider's ridiculous Yankees trade deadline prediction is attempt at sabotage

If there's one aspect of the roster the New York Yankees don't need to interrupt at the moment, it's the starting pitching staff, which has been as close to unhittable as a group could possibly be over the last month or so.

And if there's one team that Yankees don't need to do trade deadline business with, it's the crosstown Mets, because their entire roster is poisoned. And is full of a bunch of former players that were discarded by the Yankees.

But for some reason — actually, we know why! — ESPN's Buster Olney is linking one competent Mets player to the Bronx ahead of the deadline, and it's one Yankees fans are all too familiar with. Olney, who famously doesn't like the Yankees for some reason after being on the beat during the Dynasty years, would of course throw this scenario out in the wild like it's nothing.

In his latest piece of exclusive content for ESPN, Olney suggests Luis Severino is a fit for the Yankees if they "incur some injuries" because of his "big-market and playoff experience." We're just wondering if Olney watched any of Severino in pinstripes from 2019-2023. Specifically his playoff experience.

Over that span, the right-hander pitched in just 45 games and was statistically the worst regular starting pitcher in baseball last season. So he's always been injured as a Yankee and then gradually crumbled in the spotlight of the big market. But sure, that's a match made in heaven.

ESPN insider's ridiculous Yankees trade deadline prediction is attempt at sabotage

Severino might be pitching to a 3.22 ERA, 3.80 FIP and 1.16 WHIP across 10 starts, but Yankees fans know very well why that's the case. Sevy needed a change of scenery and is performing in a setting where expectations don't matter or hold any weight.

In the Bronx, Severino was constantly under pressure to return to the ace-like arm he was in 2017 and 2018 to fulfill the prophecy of becoming the organization's star of the future. Instead, he was constantly bogged down by injuries ranging from insignificant to extremely severe, and was constantly feuding with the organization over nothing more than his own transgressions (not reporting his injuries, allegedly forgetting the start time of a playoff game, disagreeing with the medical staff's proper injury timeline, and publicly putting the team on blast for its rehab plan for him).

The Yankees, after all that, gave him one final chance to live up to the $40 million contract extension he signed but had only appeared in 26 games for. And Sevy delivered his worst professional campaign to date in 2024, finishing with a 6.65 ERA, 6.14 FIP and 1.65 WHIP in 19 games (18 starts).

This is nothing but an attempt at sabotaging the Yankees and their tremendous start to the season because ... that's all anybody who isn't a Yankees fan has been trying to do. Forget about New York being off to the best start in the AL — Juan Soto is a free agent come November. Forget about Giancarlo Stanton's resurgence — Hal Steinbrenner made a comment about the future payroll. Forget about the starting rotation's historical start and Anthony Volpe's breakout season — [insert fake distracting topic Yankees fans don't actually care about].

We guess it's Severino reunion chatter this week. We'll just need a barrage of home runs from Soto, Judge and Stanton, and it'll be on to the next.