Mets predicted to reunite with two-time All-Star on $48 million contract

What will the New York Mets do for an encore in 2025?

This year's Mets team stunned Major League Baseball, making it all the way to the National League Championship Series despite a roster reset the previous season. They ultimately fell short against the world-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but there was a lot to smile about in Queens.

The Mets may have caught the league by surprise in 2024, but they won't do it again, especially with one of the league's highest projected payrolls. There's also plenty of roster tweaking to do, particularly with the starting rotation which contained three free agents this past season.

One of those free agents, though, may be right back on the mound at Citi Field soon. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently predicted that Mets starter Luis Severino would return to the team in 2025 on a three-year, $48 million contract.

"Not only was Severino substantially better in his first season with the Mets than in his final one with the Yankees, but he was also healthy for once, logging almost as many innings as he had in the previous five seasons combined (209.1)," Miller said.

"Because of that injury history, a fully guaranteed even remotely long-term deal might be a stretch here... A return to the Mets makes a lot of sense, though, as they need to add multiple starting pitchers this winter."

Severino, 30, totaled an 11-7 record, 3.91 ERA, and 182 innings pitched across 31 starts. He also allowed six earned runs across 16 2/3 innings of work in the postseason. While he wasn't the world's most dominant pitcher by any means, he was the workhorse the Mets needed.

Severino also recently rejected the $21 million qualifying offer, which means the Mets would receive a late fourth-round draft pick from any other team that signs him if he were to leave Queens this winter.

New York obviously has its sights set on higher-end starters than Severino, but a rotation also needs depth. The Mets know Severino is comfortable playing for them, and if he continues his career resurgence, his next deal could prove to be a bargain.

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