Is Luis Severino paving the way for a possible Mets contract extension?

As Mets Playing disappointing baseball and in danger of falling out of the Wild Card race during the month of May, many expected the club to be one of the biggest sellers again at this year’s trade deadline.

However, with the team drastically turning things around by posting the best record in baseball since the calendar flipped to June, that perception quickly changed.

Although the Mets are back in the hunt, they could still try to trade some of their rental pitchers.

One of his most valuable trade pieces would be Luis Severinobut New York could – and very well should – have other plans for the former All-Star.

After ending his Yankees career with another slow, injury-plagued campaign, Sevy joined their hometown rivals on a one-year deal, hoping to turn things around and regain some value.

He frequented Driveline during the off-season to work on his mechanics and make some adjustments, and the results have paid huge dividends so far, as he’s quickly turned his Baseball Savant metrics from blue to nothing but red.

And it wasn’t just the statistics that improved. The 30-year-old looked like a completely different pitcher and provided David Stearns and the Mets with tremendous value for their relatively cheap tryout pact.

Severino has been throwing to contact more often this season instead of focusing on strikeouts, and he’s leaning on his sinker more than ever.

The changes have yielded positive results, as he has managed to stay healthy for the first time in a long time and currently ranks 15th in the National League with a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP after putting together another spectacular start. last Sunday night in Chicago.

After taking a regular rest day from pitching for what the team called matchup-related reasons, the right-hander was dominant as he held the Cubs lineup to just three hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters in six shutouts. . Appetizer.

And it wasn’t just that outing, as Severino was masterful all season, providing New York with the rotation arm it needed with the right-handed ace Kodai Senga still recovering from a shoulder injury.

If Severino can maintain that over the next few months, working on a potential contract extension before returning to the open market this offseason could be in both sides’ best interests.

It certainly seems like Severino could be open to the idea, as he recently said Newsday’s Tim Healey that he hopes to remain with the organization until the deadline.

“I want to be here,” he said. “I’ve created a routine here. I know my teammates here, the pitching coach, everyone who’s been helping me. It would be great if I stayed here.”

The Mets certainly should be in favor as well, as Severino has shown over the years that he can handle the pressure of pitching in the Big Apple, and a change of scenery across town has helped him enjoy a bit of a renaissance in the Big Apple. career.

With a lot of uncertainty in their starting rotation after this season, there’s no denying that Stearns and the Mets could use another veteran arm to pair with Senga and their young talent moving forward.

Severino’s contract is difficult to project due to its boom-or-bust potential. Based on his injury history, a two-year deal with an innings-based buyout option could make sense. But at just 30 years old, he might want to lock in a guaranteed third or even fourth year.

With him locked up for the foreseeable future but still able to hit the open market in search of a payday at age 32 or 33, this seems like a relatively reasonable scenario for both sides.

As we know, a lot can change over the next few months, but if Severino can keep it up, he could figure into the Mets’ future plans.