In an offseason when Juan Soto is expected to sign for more than $600 million, it was a $67 million contract that seemed to surprise more people around the league than anything else.

Luis Severino agreed to a three-year, $67 million deal with the Athletics on Thursday, taking another notable starting pitcher off the market. While Severino -- who turned down a qualifying offer from the Mets last month -- received an average annual value of $22.3 million, it was the team that gave him the contract that opened the most eyes.

“Good for the A’s,” an American League executive said. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

The Severino deal marked the latest example of how expensive starting pitching has become. He’s already the fifth starter to sign for an eight-figure AAV this offseason:

• Blake Snell, Dodgers (5 years/$182 million)

• Luis Severino, Athletics (3 years/$67 million)

• Yusei Kikuchi, Angels (3 years/$63 million)

• Frankie Montas, Mets (2 years/$34 million)

• Matthew Boyd, Cubs (2 years/$29 million)

The only other multiyear deals given out this offseason? Catchers Kyle Higashioka and Travis d’Arnaud, who got two-year deals worth $13.5 million and $12 million, respectively.

“The market for pitching is insane right now,” an NL executive said. “It’s through the roof.”

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The two top starters on the market are Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, followed by Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea, Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta.

“There are two tier-one guys, and more than two teams [are] looking for a guy like that,” the NL exec said. “The prices just keep going up.”

The wild card in the pitching pursuit could be Garrett Crochet, who is expected to be traded by the White Sox at some point this winter. Other starting pitchers may become available via trade at some point, but barring a surprising development, Crochet appears to be the cream of the trade crop, putting the White Sox in a strong position.

“If teams are paying $20 million-plus for middle-tier starters, what is he worth?” an NL executive said.

Start it up?

Given the price of starting pitching -- and relative dearth of it in free agency -- it should be no surprise that clubs are trying to get creative as they look to add to their rotations.

That’s why relievers such as Jeff Hoffman and Clay Holmes are being considered by some teams as potential starters, an idea that has gained steam around the league following last year’s success of relievers-turned-starters including Crochet, Reynaldo López and Jordan Hicks.

“I think it’s more about the high cost of starting pitching,” an NL executive said. “Teams are more willing to take chances in spaces they haven’t previously because of the cost for starters. The hit rate will naturally be lower, but the potential payoff makes it worth it.”

Another executive said teams “are looking at any way they can maximize the value of a player,” adding, “You have to be open to just about anything.”

Many relievers were unsuccessful starters earlier in their careers, but starting pitchers are no longer expected to pitch six, seven or eight innings in games the way they once were. When assessing a reliever’s viability as a potential starter, clubs are looking at things such as durability, the ability to get both lefties and righties out, and whether their repertoire is ideal for navigating a lineup twice. There’s also the safety net that if the experiment goes awry, they can always move the pitcher back into the bullpen, where no team ever has enough arms.

“I think teams will look for relative low-risk gambles to do that if there are indicators that suggest a possibility,” an AL executive said. “With how starters are being deployed it’s more probable than in the past.”