Former Yanks Luis Severino and Harrison Bader ready to play across town for Mets: ‘I’m happy to be with this organization’

It might take a little while to get used to a brighter blue. and have joined their , in another borough. When the newest members of the Mets were introduced Wednesday on a Zoom call, Severino stumbled in his opening remarks, accidentally thanking the Yankees before correcting himself and thanking the team that signed him to a .

You’ll have to forgive him if he’s still trying to process the switch. Severino, the former Yankees ace, thought he would spend his entire career in the Bronx. “I thought I would die a Yankee,” Severino said Wednesday while donning a Mets cap. But the Mets are not a consolation prize. New York is where Severino wants to be.

“The thing that keeps me going is the pressure,” Severino said. “I love being under pressure. I was in New York for a long time. I’m happy to be with this organization — the Mets — because I want to continue to feel that pressure.” Severino and Bader have both shown that they can thrive under the unique pressure that playing in this city brings.

One of the reasons David Stearns, a Manhattan native, hired Mendoza was because of his experience watching Aaron Boone manage in New York. In his first winter leading the baseball operations efforts for the Mets, Stearns has tried to identify the players and personnel that fit the market. “There’s an added intensity here,” Stearns said.

“We all talk about it, we all know it. To have players who embrace that, who enjoy that and thrive off of that intensity. I do think that’s important. Both of these guys have that.” This transition is a little less shocking for Bader, a center fielder . He might have grown up in Bronxville rooting for the Yankees, but his mom came from a family of Mets fans.

Bader didn’t melt under the harsh playoff spotlight with the Yankees, hitting .333 with five home runs during the 2022 postseason, with three home runs coming in the ALCS. The influence of a passionate, yet often demanding, fanbase can be beneficial if you approach it the right way. “All the things that you might say that are difficult about New York, those are all really external,” Bader said.

“They kind of exist [outside of the ballpark]. People feel the pressure on them or people feel that those characteristics, in many ways, weigh them down. But you have the ability to use that pressure and to use that weight — if you will — and kind of flip it on its head to make it more internal.

Have that pressure kind of drive your decision making.” Bader and Severino will face a good amount of pressure next season. They both have to prove that they can stay healthy. Bader has to show that he can hit. Severino has to show that he’s still capable of pitching like an ace. Severino, who will be 30 next month, is .

He went 4 8 with a 6.65 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts). He didn’t even pitch 100 innings (89 1/3), he struggled with consistency, tipping pitches and, once again, his health. The right hander started the 2023 season late because of a lat strain and ended it early with an oblique strain. At the moment, he feels “100%” healthy.

He’s been seeing a sleep specialist this winter and is discussing how to prevent further injuries and stay on the field with the Mets’ training staff. “We’re finding ways to get better with the trainers and find out how my body is working,” he said. “We’re trying to see where my power comes from and how we can keep it the same way for the whole season.” Bader, who was traded to the Yankees while injured in 2022, had season ending sports hernia surgery Sept.

28. He’s aware of his reputation for being unable to stay on the field and he takes “extreme ownership” of the injuries while also being careful not to use them as excuses. However, he does think they impacted him at the plate. A defensive wiz, outside of that one playoff run, Bader has never been known for his bat.

“I’m in Tampa fully with the right people and a lot of research behind it,” Bader said. “I feel extremely confident with the people I’m with. Pair that with my hitting coach and all the work you do behind the scenes, I feel extremely confident moving forward.” The easiest way to lessen the pressure is to win.

No longer Yankees, Severino and Bader are hoping to show Mets fans what they’re capable of when they’re at their best..