When a seasoned player joins a new team, there are often interesting exchanges that can be quite rewarding for certain members of the team. In professional baseball, a player’s jersey number can be highly valuable, and these number exchanges can sometimes lead to players receiving extravagant gifts like cars or luxury watches.
For example, when Shohei Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, he gave Joe Kelly’s wife a Porsche, while former New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino followed suit with a generous gift for Oakland A’s pitcher Mitch Spence. Severino gifted Spence a Rolex GMT-Master II, a watch valued at around $10,000, and sometimes even more. Although it’s not quite as extravagant as a Porsche, this thoughtful gesture from Severino added a special story to the item.
Luis SeverinoSeverino, who signed a three-year, $67 million contract with the A’s this offseason, sought out Spence, who had been selected from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft. Despite Severino being a newcomer to the A’s, he found Spence on his first day with the team and offered to buy him a gift. According to MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos, Severino asked Spence, “What do you like?” and within two days, the Rolex was waiting for Spence at his locker.
Severino’s signing with the A’s makes him their Opening Day starter, as confirmed by GM David Forst. Coming off a solid season with the Mets, Severino posted a 3.91 ERA and 182 innings pitched in 2024, making him a key addition to a rotation full of young arms. The A’s needed a reliable veteran like Severino to lead the staff into the new season.
Spence, who had a solid rookie year with a 4.58 ERA and 4.21 FIP in 151.1 innings, showed promise as both a long reliever and starter. Despite a higher ERA, his FIP matched Severino’s, which adds to the optimism surrounding the A’s rotation as spring training begins. With Spence’s potential and Severino’s experience, the A’s rotation could see exciting development as both pitchers aim to make an impact in 2025.
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