Right-hander Luis Severino and the Athletics have agreed to a $67 million, three-year contract.
Severino can opt out and become a free agent again after the 2026 season.
It's the largest deal ever for the low-budget franchise, topping a $66 million contract for third baseman Eric Chavez covering 2005-10.
There was skepticism the A's could land a pricey free agent while planning to play the next three seasons in West Sacramento, California, before they hope to move into a new stadium in Las Vegas. That planned project took a step forward Thursday when the Las Vegas Stadium Authority approved lease, non-relocation and development documents that would allow construction of a $1.75 billion stadium on the Strip.
The A's went 69-93 for their third straight losing season in 2024, then left Oakland after 57 seasons.
Severino, who turns 31 on Feb. 20, was a free agent for the second straight offseason after going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings during his only season with the New York Mets. Those were his best numbers since he was an All-Star for the second straight year with the New York Yankees in 2018.
He left the Yankees last offseason to sign a one-year deal with the Mets guaranteeing $13 million and earned an additional $2 million in performance bonuses.
Severino is 65-44 with a 3.81 ERA in 156 starts and 16 relief appearances for the Yankees (2015-23) and Mets.
Severino turned down a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets, who will receive an extra pick after the fourth round of next July's amateur draft. The Athletics will forfeit their third-highest selection.
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE- New York Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino in action during Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
BANGKOK (AP) — Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok won’t be able to edit photos to portray real people in revealing clothing in places where that is illegal, according to a statement posted on X.
The announcement late Wednesday followed a global backlash over sexualized images of women and children, including bans and warnings by some governments.
The pushback included an investigation announced Wednesday by the state of California into the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok.
Initially, media queries about the problem drew only the response, “legacy media lies.”
Musk’s company, xAI, now says it will geoblock content if it violates laws in a particular place.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, underwear and other revealing attire,” it said.
The rule applies to all users, including paid subscribers, who have access to more features.
xAI also has limited image creation or editing to paid subscribers only “to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.”
Grok’s “spicy mode” had allowed users to create explicit content, leading to a backlash from governments worldwide.
Malaysia and Indonesia took legal action and blocked access to Grok. The U.K. and European Union were investigating potential violations of online safety laws. France and India have also issued warnings, demanding stricter controls. Brazil called for an investigation into Grok’s misuse.
The Grok editing functions were “facilitating the large-scale production of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images that are being used to harass women and girls across the internet, including via the social media platform X,” California's announcement said.
“The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking. This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet," it cited the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta as saying.
"We have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material,” he said.
FILE - Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
