A's Wanted to Make 'Statement' with Historic $67M Luis Severino Contract, GM Says

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Athletics general manager David Forst revealed the team's reasoning behind signing free-agent starting pitcher Luis Severino to a historic contract on Thursday.

"We wanted to make something of a statement coming into a new city and coming into a new ballpark," Forst said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "But more than that, to improve on what we have. Signing someone with Luis's experience to be a leader was important to us."

Severino joined the Athletics on a three-year, $67 million contract.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that it's the largest guarantee in the history of the A's franchise, surpassing the previous record of $66 million held by…