Mets release LHP Anderson Severino, who is expected to sign with a Japanese team

The New York Mets have released left-hander Anderson Severino, per The Athletic's Will Sammon, with the move reportedly granted so Severino can pursue a deal with a Japanese team.

What happened

Severino was designated for assignment last week, and per Sammon, the Mets moved to release him outright — a procedural step that clears the path for a player to sign internationally without waiting on a waiver claim that may never arrive. The southpaw had been with the organization on a minor-league deal inked over the offseason, a contract structure that keeps a player off the 40-man roster and, as is often the case with these arrangements, carries no guarantee of a big-league look.

Under general league mechanics, a player designated for assignment must be traded, released, or placed on waivers within seven days. Granting the release outright, rather than letting the waiver clock run, is the kind of quiet organizational courtesy that costs the club nothing and gives the player a head start on whatever comes next.

Why it matters

The departure is less a surprise than a quiet resolution to a Triple-A tenure that looked better on the surface than the underlying numbers suggested. Severino posted a 1.31 ERA over 20 2/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse — the kind of figure that tends to generate a phone call from the front office, or at least a raised eyebrow in the right direction. That call, apparently, never came.

Per Sammon's reporting, the Mets' decision not to promote Severino despite that ERA was likely driven by what was happening beneath it. His 13.8% walk rate pointed to real control concerns, and a .229 BABIP — well below the range where ERA and true performance tend to converge — meant opposing hitters were finding a lot of outs on balls in play that, in a different stretch of luck, might have found gaps. The grounder-heavy profile, at a 51.1% groundball rate, is a legitimate skill, and it kept the ball on the ground often enough to suppress damage. But when the walks are that frequent and the BABIP that low, the ERA is doing some flattering work that the peripherals aren't fully endorsing.

For a club that, per Sammon, has shown a well-documented willingness to cycle through relievers, the fact that Severino never got a look at the MLB level is its own kind of editorial comment on those numbers.

The numbers

Severino's only Major League experience, per the reporting, consists of six games and 7 1/3 innings with the White Sox. The Syracuse line — 1.31 ERA across 20 2/3 innings, a 51.1% groundball rate, a 13.8% walk rate, and a .229 BABIP — is the full picture of what the Mets were evaluating. The ERA is the headline. The walk rate and the BABIP are the footnotes that explain why the headline didn't lead anywhere upstate.

The grounder-heavy approach is a profile that travels, and Severino's time in the Mexican League during the 2024-25 seasons suggests he is comfortable adapting to different competitive environments. Whether the next organization sees the 51.1% groundball rate as a foundation to build on, or the 13.8% walk rate as the first item on the agenda, is a question the next chapter will answer.

Where the club stands

The Mets sit at 74-88 (.457), fifth in the NL East and 20 games back in the division. They are eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, and rank 10th in the Wild Card standings at 14.0 relative to the cut line. They enter Saturday on a one-game losing streak.

The upcoming schedule offers no particular relief: Saturday and Sunday bring a road series at San Diego's Petco Park, with Nolan McLean opposing Griffin Canning on Saturday and Huascar Brazobán opposing Randy Vásquez on Sunday. The club returns home Tuesday to face the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, where Freddy Peralta is the probable starter against Dustin May.

For a team already eliminated from postseason contention, roster decisions like this one carry a different weight than they would in the thick of a pennant race. The question isn't whether Severino could have helped a push — it's whether the organization saw enough to keep him in the system. Per the reporting, the answer was no, and the release was granted to let him pursue the next opportunity elsewhere.

What we don't know yet

The specific Japanese team Severino is expected to join has not been identified in Sammon's reporting. The timeline for that arrangement has not been reported. It also remains unclear whether any other MLB clubs expressed interest during the DFA window or whether the release was granted without a waiver claim being filed.

What to watch

The more immediate question for Mets observers watching the bullpen is how the organization fills the innings that relievers like Severino were, at least theoretically, available to absorb. With the club eliminated and a long finish to the season ahead, the minor-league pipeline and the 40-man roster decisions that follow will matter more for the organization's longer horizon than for any game this week.

Per Sammon's reporting, Severino's path to Japan follows a stint in the Mexican League during the 2024-25 seasons — a player who has spent meaningful time outside affiliated ball and is now, apparently, heading back to international competition. The minor-league deal that brought him back to affiliated ball this year served its purpose as an audition. The Mets watched, weighed the ERA against the walk rate and the BABIP, and reportedly decided the fit wasn't there. Severino, for his part, reportedly has a destination already in mind.

The 1.31 ERA will look good on a résumé. The 13.8% walk rate will be the first item on the agenda in whatever pitching meeting comes next.