The Mets have released left-hander Anderson Severino, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. Severino was designated for assignment last week, and Sammon indicates that the release was granted so Severino could sign with a Japanese team.
The southpaw is no stranger to international play, as Severino pitched in the Mexican League during the 2024-25 seasons. He made his return to affiliated ball this year after signing a minor league deal with the Mets over the offseason, and Severino posted a 1.31 ERA over 20 2/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse. Despite the impressive ERA, Severino’s grounder-heavy (51.1% groundball rate) got a lot of help from a .229 BABIP, and his 13.8% walk rate indicated some control issues.
Those under-the-hood numbers were likely the reason why the Mets (despite their penchant for cycling through relievers) didn’t give Severino a look at the MLB level. His only Major League experience consists of six games and 7 1/3 innings with the White Sox in 2022, as Severino posted a 6.14 ERA over his couple of weeks in the Show.
Severino has worked as a reliever for almost the entirety of his pro career, so he isn’t likely to explore a move to starting pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball. A good showing in Japan could very well get Severino back onto the radar for big league teams down the road, or perhaps lead to a longer stint in NPB for the 31-year-old.
