Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has previously said he would prioritize securing contract extensions with the team’s three stars who were set to hit free agency for the first time next winter, Aaron Hicks, Didi Gregorius, and Dellin Betances. But as he was about to walk into a potentially contentious arbitration hearing with another young star, Cashman pivoted, and instead inked Luis Severino to a four-year, $40 million extension.
The news was surprising, considering this is just Severino’s first of four arbitration years. Surprising, but certainly not unwelcome.