This team’s ace already is on roster
ACE. Breakthrough. Leverage. These are exciting words. Words of action. Words that might even have served as series titles on the popular cable channel TNT.
They rev people up in baseball, too, and Luis Severino has staked claim to all three at an ideal time for the Yankees.
The 23-year-old registered his fourth straight strong start Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, leading the Yankees to a 9-5 victory over the Reds and a sweep of this quick, two-game set in The Bronx. Joe Girardi’s group has now won three in a row and five of six and is 8-5 since the AllStar break, and a strong home showing against the Rays — in for four games starting Thursday — essentially will move the Yankees past their 10-22 blue period.
Severino, one of the key culprits in the Yankees’ 2016 meltdown, now gets big credit for the franchise’s quick 180. His personal 360, from cherished young starter to humbled reliever back to frontline starter, has given the Yankees a new ace.
“That term gets thrown around loosely these days,” longtime former ace CC Sabathia said when I asked him whether Severino had earned that moniker. “But yeah, for what that term is, yeah, he is.”
“He’s thrown the best all year for us,” Girardi, who fielded the same question before Wednesday’s game, said of Severino. “You can call him what you want. Some people call him that.”
Just as critical, leading up to Monday’s non-waivers trade deadline, is the leverage Severino affords the Yankees. He isn’t just any ace. He’s an ace who can’t be a free agent until after the 2022 season.
While the same goes for impressive rookie Jordan Montgomery, Sabathia and the injured Michael Pineda will enter the open market this winter. Masahiro Tanaka can, though if he doesn’t exercise his optout it’ll be because he couldn’t work through his season-long struggles — and therefore it wouldn’t constitute great news for the Yankees.
The future openings in their starting rotation explain why the Yankees remain engaged in talks with the A’s regarding Sonny Gray, who can’t go anywhere until after the 2019 campaign. The rises of Severino and Montgomery, newly developed assets, show why the Yankees can be disciplined in their pursuit of Gray. They’d like the 27year-old right-hander, yet they needn’t go overboard to acquire him. They can protect their top farm-system jewels (Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield and Miguel Andujar) and use guys further down the ladder (Albert Abreu, Estevan Florial and Jorge Mateo, among many others) to try to grab Gray.
Severino pitched seven innings on Wednesday, throwing 112 pitches, and allowed two unearned runs on three hits and two walks, striking out nine. His last pitch registered 100 mph and induced a high chopper from Jose Peraza. Severino barehanded it and fired to first to finish the seventh. Sabathia identified Bartolo Colon, Justin Verlander and Severino as the only three pitchers he has seen who could dial it up like that so late in their outings.
In his past three starts, Severino has a 0.43 ERA in 21 innings, striking out 21 and walking five while giving up just one earned run.
“Sevvy, man,” said Todd Frazier, who delivered his first Yankees home run. “Unbelievable.”
“I’m taking the mound every time thinking about going six, seven,” Severino said. “That’s my mindset.”
His commitment to starting pitching, even after last year’s success as a reliever, pushed Severino to dramatically improve his changeup last winter. That third pitch has proven vital in his transformation. In his team’s transformation, consequently.
Severino attempted to turn down the volume on the ace talk, saying, “There are a lot of guys who are way better. CC has a lot of years here. Tanaka had a great year last year. I have to keep doing this for five or six years and then see what happens. But right now, we have a lot of good guys.”
Another good guy might be joining them shortly for right now and beyond. Gray wouldn’t be the savior, though. Not the ace. To the Yankees, Severino already has taken up the best action words.