Yankees made fatal error not trading Luis Severino after 2022 season

We hope Luis Severino rediscovers his form and can help himself (as well as the New York Yankees) in his contract year. We've said it countless times before: these two parties need each other in 2023 if they both want to reach the heights they so desire.

But if the Yankees had an inkling of a clue when to move on from a player when the time was right, they would've ditched Severino this past offseason. He'd finally recouped his value in a short window before he would inevitably provide the Yankees with more of the same: injuries and disappointing performances.

And before you call us Captain Hindsight, we'll have you dig back through offseason Yanks Go Yard podcast episodes to find the one where we pondered the Yankees moving Sevy after picking up his option.

Severino, up until the conclusion of the 2022 season, hadn't been anything close to a commodity since 2018. He pitched in just 26 games across four seasons, and now it's 31 through almost four and a half. When he finished last year with a 3.18 ERA, 3.70 FIP and 1.00 WHIP in 19 starts (102 innings), the Yankees should've picked up the phone to see what pitching-needy teams would've offered.

Why? Because at $15 million, teams would've actually given the Yankees something worthwhile in return for Sevy, and with a roster full of holes, it would've gone a long way. But more importantly, the Yankees could've rid themselves of exactly what everyone knew was on the horizon. Did anyone really think we would be getting vintage 2017-2018 Sevy this year? Come on now.

The Yankees should've traded Luis Severino in the offseason

We're not saying we were expecting a complete meltdown. We just definitely weren't looking forward to a co-ace performance, because it's been almost five years since that's happened.

Forget about his multiple callouts of the organization. While those are concerning, nobody would care about that if he was actually able to stay healthy and perform. And after starting this season on the injured list until May 21, Severino has returned to provide three straight disastrous outings after his first two outings that provided optimism.

His velocity is down. His location is terrible. His focus and body language couldn't be more off. And it's contributed to 16 earned runs on 22 hits and 6 walks in his last three starts, totaling 13.2 innings. His latest dud against the Mets was the most concerning, too.

Two balks in the same game! The storylines get more and more egregious every week. Are the Yankees sadists for allowing this to persist?

But of course, we knew the front office had to see this contract through and try to get a semblance of value. After signing Sevy to a four-year, $40 million extension right before the 2019 season, the Yankees were obviously going to trick themselves into thinking one last try after Sevy fooled them with a solid 19-start campaign would do the trick.

Instead, it's a new version of bad to bring this whole thing home.