Luis Severino now has the biggest offseason call on the Athletics’ roster, and it isn’t one the team can make for him.
After a 2026 season that went sideways with injuries and inconsistency, the A’s are trying to reset for 2027, their final year before the move to Las Vegas. Plenty of the roster is unsettled, with impending free agents like Mark Leiter Jr. and Jonah Heim facing uncertain futures. The club also appears ready to move on from Jeffrey Springs after a rough stretch that has pushed his ERA close to seven.
But Severino is the one name who could shape the rotation without the A’s having the final say.
The right-hander missed most of the season after being injured and went on the injured list after his May start against the Yankees. He never came back, and now that his season is over, there’s a real chance his last pitch in an A’s uniform has already been thrown.
Severino’s contract was a major one when he signed it: three years, $67 million, a franchise record at the time.
Breaking: Right-hander Luis Severino and the A’s are in agreement on a three-year, $67 million contract, sources tell @JeffPassan.It is the largest guarantee in the history of the A’s franchise. pic.twitter.com/9JjST5OfdP
Now the decision sits with him. If Severino stays, he’d play out the final year of that deal and make $22 million in 2027 before reaching free agency. That’s the straightforward path, and on paper it’s the most logical one, since it’s hard to imagine him finding that kind of money elsewhere after losing so much of this season to injury.
Still, there’s another route. If Severino feels worn down by pitching for two uncompetitive A’s clubs in West Sacramento, or simply wants out of the hitter-friendly minor league setting, he can opt out and test the market this winter.
The A’s could also be operating with a new general manager before free agency begins, and that person would have plenty to sort through on a depleted staff. Whether Severino stays or leaves, the club is expected to look for more pitching help.
For now, though, the most important rotation question belongs to Severino. Given the season he just had, the safer move may be to stick around for one more year in West Sacramento and let the open market wait until after next season.
In Other News...
A's Young Bat Is Making Triple-A Hard To Ignore
The Las Vegas Aviators kept piling up offense in a 14-12 win over El Paso, and right fielder Devin Taylor was right in the middle of it. He homered twice and also came through with key hits as the Aviators turned a high-scoring night into another reminder that their lineup has plenty of thump, with Colby Halter and Johnathan Rodriguez adding their own damage in the win.
For the A's, that's the part worth watching. Taylor's surge at Triple-A has made the promotion look less like a test run and more like a real audition, and every loud night only sharpens the conversation about how soon he might force the issue. The rest of the farm system had its own mixed slate, with Midland, Fort Wayne and Stockton also in action, but Taylor's bat is the one making it hardest to ignore what is happening in Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Head To Seattle With Two Familiar Problems Still Looming
The Athletics left the Rangers series with some offensive momentum, averaging 5.0 runs a game and closing with a nine-run outburst that gave the lineup a much-needed jolt. Even so, the underlying issue was hard to miss: too many innings began with Oakland chasing the game, which put extra pressure on every at-bat and made early traffic on the bases feel like a missed chance rather than the start of something bigger.
As the club heads to Seattle, the focus turns to whether that improved scoring can show up sooner and whether Henry Bolte can be turned into the kind of table-setter this offense needs when he gets on base. The bullpen offered a different kind of encouragement, with Chris Roycroft and Geoff Hartlieb both handling multi-inning work well enough to suggest Mark Kotsay may want to keep leaning that way as he looks for more stability behind a team still trying to solve the same two problems. [Read more 🡒]
Jamie Arnold Is Forcing An As Rotation Decision Faster Than Expected
The Athletics decision to take Jamie Arnold in the first round of last years draft already marked a notable shift for an organization that had gone nearly a decade without selecting a pitcher that high. Arnold then justified the investment by opening his pro career at Double-A and putting together a 3.27 ERA across 23 starts, which was enough to earn a quick move to Triple-A and put him on the radar far sooner than many expected.
That next test went as well as the As could have hoped, with Arnold looking comfortable against a higher level of competition right away and adding another layer to a conversation the club didnt figure to be having this soon. Oakland can still let the process play out, but the way Arnold has handled each step has made it increasingly hard to ignore the possibility that his path to the big leagues could arrive before the calendar turns, whether that means a late-season look or a real push for a rotation job next spring. [Read more 🡒]