SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Sacramento region baseball fans rejoice. Major League Baseball’s Athletics took a huge step toward the 2025 season by signing free agent pitcher Luis Severino.

According to a Dec. 6 report on the official MLB website, Severino signed a three-year, $67 million deal that goes down as the largest guaranteed contract handed out by the Athletics in franchise history.

Severino will be joining the Athletics who will be playing their 2025 home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, while a new stadium is being built for the Athletics in Las Vegas. The AAA River Cats will also be playing their home games at Sutter Health Park in 2025.

The Athletics left Oakland at the conclusion of the 2024 season when the organization’s lease agreement with the city for the Oakland Coliseum expired. The Athletics reported at the time, the club was unable to come to terms with Oakland on a new stadium to replace the outdated and dilapidated coliseum.

The Athletics had played in Oakland since the 1968 season after moving from Kansas City.

According to baseball-reference.com, Severino is currently thirty years old and was born in the Dominican Republic. The 6-feet, 3-inch-tall right hander started his major league baseball career with the New York Yankees in 2015. Severino pitched for the Yankees for eight seasons and was a Major League Baseball All-Star in 2017 and 2018.

In 2023, Severino played for the New York Mets. In the 2023 campaign he posted an 11-7 record with a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings.  

Major League Basaseball reported that Severino was in Sacramento on Dec. 6 for a press conference and took the opportunity to also visit Sutter Health Park which is undergoing renovations necessary for the stadium to host a major league baseball club.

At the press conference which was held at the ritzy Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento, Severino summed up the moment succinctly and perfectly with this statement, “… excited to be here, excited to be part of this new team.”

Athletics fans will be hoping that Severino returns to the All-Star form he exhibited with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018. It is most likely that Severino will be the Athletics starting pitcher on opening day, which for the Athletics is Thursday, Mar. 27, in Seattle against the Mariners. The Athletics home opener at Sutter Health Park will be on Monday, Mar. 31 against the iconic Chicago Cubs.