The Rangers announced Tuesday that they’ve signed veteran right-hander Jose Urena to a minor league contract. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. Urena is represented by Premier Talent Sports & Entertainment.
Each of the past two seasons has played out somewhat similarly for the now-32-year-old Urena. He’s split both years between two organizations — Brewers/Rockies in 2022; Rockies/White Sox in 2023 — and pitched poorly for the first before rebounding for the second. In 2022, Urena tossed 7 2/3 innings for the Brewers, limiting opponents to three runs but doing so with more walks (five) than strikeouts (three). He latched on in Colorado after being cut loose and gave the Rox 89 1/3 innings of 5.14 ERA ball over the life of 17 starts. That’s not the most appealing ERA mark, of course, but pitching at Coors Field is hardly an enviable task — and Urena was quite successful down the stretch (2.25 ERA, 25-to-9 K/BB in his final five starts).
That run with the Rockies was enough for Colorado to bring him back on a one-year, $3.5MM contract, but that deal went south in a hurry. Urena was torched for a 9.82 earned run average in his first five starts and cut loose after pitching just 18 1/3 innings overall. He caught on with the White Sox later, was called to the big leagues in September, and posted an overall 4.10 ERA in his five starts with Chicago (26 1/3 innings, 20-to-8 K/BB ratio).
Urena had some solid seasons with the Marlins earlier in his big league career, but consistency has long eluded him. All told, he’s pitched 839 1/3 innings as a big leaguer and turned in a 4.89 ERA with a well below-average 15.5% strikeout rate, a roughly average 8.6% walk rate and a strong 48.2% ground-ball rate.
The Rangers will likely try to add a few arms of this nature — veterans who can be stashed in the upper minors as depth. With Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom both recovering from surgery and Jordan Montgomery currently a free agent, they’re looking at a projected rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Cody Bradford. Some additional certainty would be prudent — be it re-signing Montgomery or acquiring a different free agent or trade option — but improving the depth is similarly important and Urena helps to fill that need.
Good. Now that they got their depth guy, they can spend their remaining budget on Hader or Neris instead of wasting it on getting a 10 man starting rotation the second half. Montgomery would be the only one who makes sense since he wouldn’t cost a pick and is reliable, but I prefer improving upon the biggest weakness instead.
the longer this goes on, the longer I think the Hader/Nerris signing won’t happen.
CY jumped in early on guys last off season. this year not so much. but I’d feel better of a signing of at least one of Monty/Hader/Nerris, we’ll see.
Kind of depends on the diamond sports stuff I wonder. I think sides are meeting Friday, if things go well maybe Monty signs Saturday haha
yeah, as a matter of fact, I would like to know if I’m gonna have to illegally stream them all next season, too.
I’m hoping the Rangers are communicating as much to Monty and hoping that’s why he hasn’t signed with anyone else up to this point.
Maybe move him to the bullpen? We’ll see.
Urena belongs in the bullpen
Urena is an analytics darling. They like his spin and groundball tendencies. If they actually looked at his results, he wouldn’t be signed.
Ok?
Do not like this signing; it’s a lottery ticket.
It’s probably a few hundred k only.
It a milb deal – no risk. If he has a good ST he gets a shot. If not goes to AAA unless he has an opt out which a lot of vets get.
The point is to not get excited about it while at the same time not bashing it either. Wait and see.
it’s a minor league signing and it’s for depth..no harm here..this lotto ticket is more like $1 scratch card lol
Buying a 1 dollar ticket where 10 bucks is the grand prize.
I’m shattered. I knew Cease will be gone soon, but Urena? The pain is almost too much to take.
Urena was the White Soc number four starter, really rocking that rotation!
In all seriousness, he wasn’t bad in his 5 starts, especially on a trainwreck of a team.
Would have been the perfect depth piece for the Padres.
On a minor league, not breaking the bank deal.
Can someone tell me what direction this club is taking, when you pass on rotation pieces on minor league deals?
Passing on minor league deals?!
How broke are the Padres?!
Tow – they can’t sign every guy for the 6/7 spots in rotation. They have a fair enough of those guys already (the names have already been shared over the months).
Besides, there is a chance that not all players desire to go to “just any team”.
You have this mentality that when a player signs somewhere that the only reason that they aren’t Padres is because Preller didn’t make an offer (or was outbid).
For all you know an offer was made.
For all you know, Urena (and others) had their own reasons to pick where they picked.
This isn’t fantasy league.
Take a shot at being realistic sometimes.
It’s a minor league deal.
How much more realistic can you be?
No, the Pads don’t have depth in their rotation.
The Pads lack a fourth and fifth starter at the moment.
Are the Padres going to promote from within?
Will there be minor league arms starting the year in the rotation?
Are the Padres that confident in the arms in their system?
I’d take those arms and talent over what they may end up doing.
The Padres refuse to add payroll.
The worst thing they could do is overpay in prospect capital for fourth and fifth starters and depth to fill out roster.
That seems to be the route that most fans want.
Deplete the farm for midling to below average talent to fill out the roster to ‘save a buck’.
Where will the savings go???
Tow – have you only been a Padres fan for a few years (the spending years?). Your comments make me think you have never experienced the Padres of the 80’s, 90’s, and 00-18.
I don’t mean anything g negative to you fellow Padres fan.
They do have plenty of 6/7 guys type depth if you look and yes, that is what Utena is at this point and that is the context of my reply to you.
They need a 4 – urena isn’t it so, no harm.
And like I said, consider not calling every signing by another team as a failure of the Padres to sign the guy. The player has a part in the decision.
Also, you don’t have any idea who they are talking to and have a “let’s keep in touch” agreement – Cueto, Lauer, Davies, for example – guys thst actually might be a 4 in 2024.
Reporting day is a month away.
This team will have a 200 mil payroll if reports are to be believed. They have maybe 25 ish to spend so they have to do it wisely.
Cooper/Votto for 1b LH bat?
SP or 2 from a list like I have mentioned.
Some bounce back LF guy a Profar type cheap.
Now, a trade will very likely happen for a TOR guy / bat.
You can’t sit on as many as 7-8 top 100 guys while having a hole at mlb level.
As Seidler is quoted as saying – cash or prospects is how you build the roster. If you don’t have cash you spend prospects.
Relax and enjoy the process.
I guarantee you that Padres do not open ST with only 3 SP and 2 Ofers on the roster!
As long as the Padres don’t trade the farm away for replacement level players.
Don’t trade for average talent simply to fill out a roster.
I agree and personally, don’t think (or hope) they will trade the top 3-4 guys.
We haven’t seen such trades for “replacement level” guys in the past.
Of course, when trading prospects (otherwise known as suspects) for mlb players, you are never dealing apples for apples.
If you want a mlb player proven to be above average, you will give up a suspect that projects down the road to be of higher value. Otherwise, why would a team trade their above average mlb player. They do it to rebuild with a potential higher value suspect that hopefully is ready next year.
So yes, if you expect a currently rated TOR pitcher – cease/burnes/Luzardo type, a top 100 (currently might only be SD’s #4 or 5) and more will be required – the more years the more it takes.
Teams won’t take 6/7 volume back of the top 30 type guys for their TOR talent. They want 1 almost guaranty to make it and and almost guaranty and a lotto ticket.
It will be ok in SD. For my point, overspending didn’t get them to playoffs last year so, over aggressive spending isn’t the only way to make it work.
Until they go back to 50 mil payrolls, let us let this play out.
@Tow, you are assuming he would ve wanted to sign a MiLB deal with Padres. If I was him I’d have preferred Rangers over Padres. With Scherzer,deGrom, and Mahle already hurt he’s likely already quickly in line for spot starts.
That’s not knocking Padres in any way. Just with state of Rangers staff, it seems ideal for a guy looking to get his career back on track.
Low key good signing.
How does this guy keep getting chance after chance?
Team has 13 pitching spots. Teams use at least 26 pitchers during the season. Must sign wash outs that have the ability to throw some innings for when the breakdowns start.