TAMPA, Fla. _ At the last minute, Luis Severino got more than he asked for. The Yankees ace reportedly avoided a contentious arbitration with the club at the last minute Friday, agreeing to a four-year $40 million extension with an option, industry sources confirmed.
Severino was under team control through 2022 and this winter had asked for $5.25 million while the Yankees had filed at $4.4 million. The deal, which buys out at least the first year of his free agency if the option is picked up, is potentially a money saver for the Yankees.
The 24-year-old won 19 games for the Yankees last season, but had a very dramatic dropoff in the second half of the season.
In his first 18 starts, the righty pitched 1181/3 innings to a 1.98 ERA. He had a .195 batting average against, allowed just six home runs and averaged almost 10 strikeouts a game.
In an 11-start stretch at the end of the season, Severino pitched just 551/3 innings, going 4-5 with a 6.83 ERA with a surprising .323 batting average against. He allowed 13 homers in that span.
Those struggles in the second half would have certainly been brought up in any arbitration process. That was something Severino was definitely not looking forward to.
Earlier this week, Cleveland's Trevor Bauer complained about how the team used "character assassination," against him in the arbitration process.
Closer to home, Dellin Betances' arbitration was thorny after the player requested $5 million and the Yankees filed at $3 million. The Yankees won the case and then team president Randy Levine ripped the home-grown player publicly. Saying that he might as well have asked for "$50 million," and added Betances didn't have the stats or role to back-up that ask, Levine seemed to spike the football extra hard on that case.
"It's like me saying, I'm not the president of the Yankees, I'm an astronaut. I'm not an astronaut and Dellin Betances is not a closer."
Betances is one of three players who would be more likely extension candidates this season. The 30-year old reliever, as well as center fielder Aaron Hicks and shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, are in their final years before they hit free agency.
