With the July 31 trade deadline getting closer and the Marlins in last place in the National League, they’ll have to decide which veterans to jettison from their roster. One of them could be right-hander Jose Urena, who has drawn inquiries from “several teams,” per Marlins reporter Craig Mish.
A member of the Miami organization since 2009, Urena made his major league debut six years later and has turned into a fixture in its starting staff in recent seasons. Dating back to 2017, the first season in which most of his appearances came in the Marlins’ rotation, Urena has logged a team-leading 69 starts and 387 innings. The 27-year-old has pitched to a solid 4.02 ERA (but with a less impressive 4.64 FIP) with 6.37 K/9, 3.02 BB/9 and a 47.5 percent groundball rate since he became a permanent starter for the Marlins.
So far this season, Urena’s numbers look fairly similar to the production he managed over the previous couple years. Even though his 96 mph fastball velocity outdoes most starters’, Urena hasn’t had much success generating strikeouts. Among qualifying starters, Urena ranks fourth last in K/9 (5.98) and 17th from the bottom in swinging-strike rate (8.9 percent). Urena has offset those figures to some degree with the game’s eighth-best groundball percentage (52.4) and an above-average walk rate (2.76), helping him to a passable 4.30 ERA/4.35 FIP in 58 2/3 frames.
Urena clearly isn’t any kind of front-line option, though it does appear he’s a capable back-end starter. There’s value in that, especially considering Urena’s affordable ($3.2MM salary) and controllable. With two seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining, the Marlins don’t have to part with Urena this summer, but Mish reports that the rebuilding club may be open to it.
Definitely not from the Braves.
2nd that
3rd
They could trade for him and then give him a blanket party
We call it a “Welcome to The Battery” party using Stance game socks and old Duracells. Marines swear it is the best alarm clock.
It worked really well for Private Pyle. 😉
Straight-up for Acuña.
Thanks for the laugh on this Monday
Hopefully stays on an NL team; Braves still owe him one.
If you want a clown as a pitcher look no further then Urena.
Mets need starters
Yes, but Mets have no one in the minors of any value to trade.
I don’t trust him. He has pitched for a lousy team in meaningless games in front of 5,000 people. He is also a hothead who throws at guy’s heads. Not sure he could get his act together for a contender.
Good thing whether a random on the internet trusts him or not is irrelevant. Dude’s a constant innings eater and provides solid 4/5 production.
Smart. Imagine not taking Stanton, Yelich, Ozuna or Realmuto because they played for “a lousy team in meaningless games in front of 5,000 people.” Solid logic!
those guys at least have class and put up respectable numbers
Not to play devils advocate or anything but shouldn’t Realmuto be partly to blame for the whole Acuna incident?
Ozuna has class? This is the same guy that compared being demoted to the Minors, with being in jail.
Not really. If you look at the incident in question Realmuto didn’t do anything to defend his pitcher. Don’t think Realmuto called it or even knew about it. Just Urena being moronic
Not sure why anyone would give up anything for this schlub.
Curious what he could do in a bullpen
Let him pitch BP from 60 feet without a cage
What a tough internet warrior
No thanks. That velocity and those peripherals look to me like Urena’s performance could totally crater if he lost a tick on his fastball or any of his secondary pitches flattened out even a little bit.
Marlins would be wise to get something for him this summer rather than risking another Straily-like fade.
I am sure that the Bucs have some top prospects that they can flip to a Florida team for an overhyped, underachieving RH SP.
MIA has no need for top prospects. They could win ballgames.
No joke. I’ve never understood why people liked Archer so much.
Three good years followed by three average years with a stinker of a season thus far. Amazing the Rays the package for him last season that would’ve been a much more understandable return after 2015.
Naahhh… the Pirates would never make a trade like that…
In all seriousness, the Bucs are so desperate for starters they might be all over this, which would worry me if true.
i could see the pirates making a run at him but probably not worth the prospects
maybe a couple teams think they can change him up and get him to use his plus velocity to get more strikeouts. on the surface, i dont quite see anything too exciting about him. i’d rather use a younger pitcher with more upside than send legit prospects for a question mark
He’s a good No 5 starter for a playoff team for sure and could be quite valuable as a long reliever. Think, David Phelps. If I’m the Marlins, I would ask for two B grade prospects for him and trade him ASAP. Don’t want another Straily situation.
PUNK
marlins should get rid of him as soon as possible. he’s taking up a rotation spot that Gallen or Elesier could have.
As a Marlins fan, now is the time to move him, after his last 8 starts. For once, I’d like to not see them wait too long to move someone, and honestly, if someone is willing to give up even a mid-level prospect for him, he should be gone. I personally dont consider him to be a SP, so if someone else does, I’d get value while I can, although as I said, there have been plenty of times they missed out
Urena is a fastball-changeup guy with no breaking ball and no command. He throws strikes, but that isnt the same thing. His best pitch is probably his 2 seamer