Is this Julio Urías’ last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Julio Urías is reportedly frustrated with the Dave Roberts limits his performance and wants a multi-year deal to stay in the Blue.
As we approach Major League Baseball’s 2023 Opening Day, the clamor is growing louder by the day for an explanation as to why the Los Angeles Dodgers have not offered a long-term contract to pitcher Julio Urías.
The port-sider, who is spearheading Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, will earn $14.25 million this season, the Dodgers have yet to offer any sort of multi-year deal. Urías has been in the Dodger organization since he was picked up from the Mexican League side Diablos Rojos del Mexico at the tender age of 16, and has been the very definition of a franchise player.
Not offering him a long-term deal is seen as disrespectful by many in Urías’ camp. Now 26 years old, Urías is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. His 2.16 ERA was the lowest in the NL last year, making him a legitimate Cy Young Award contender.
For almost three seasons, the Mexican lefty has proven to be the most sure-footed pitcher in manager Dave Roberts’ rotation, however it seems that the romance between Julio Urías and the Dodger Blue fanbase is headed for a rocky breakup.
According to a report by USA Today insider Bob Nightengale, within the Mexican pitcher’s inner circle, it is believed that Julio will opt to leave the Dodgers at the end of this season. Frustrated by the way that the Dodgers have placed limits on his pitching during his tenure in the Major Leagues, together with the lack of confidence that Roberts has shown in him in longer scenarios, Urías is expected to seek pastures new.
“Friends close to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, frustrated by the pitch limits that the organization has set throughout his career, are convinced that he’ll depart as a free agent after the season,” wrote Nightengale.
Since he was promoted to the Major Leagues in 2016, the Dodgers have maintained an abundance of caution with the left-hander, as if he were a child who must ride a bicycle with training wheels even though he already has a driving license.
Urías achieved 20 wins in 2021, becoming the first pitcher to do so in five seasons.
Yet Roberts hasn’t let him push any pitch count limits in any of his outings.
Over the past three seasons, the Mexican has posted a 2.66 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 415 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. Not to mention, the pivotal role that he played in helping Los Angeles win the 2020 World Series.
Ohtani the Dodgers’ top target
With Shohei Ohtani’s decision to become a free agent at the end of 2023, many experts point out that the Dodgers will go on a hunting expedition to land the Japanese phenom, and much of the money that they will need to offer him would need to come from what they would save by leaving the road open for Urías to sign elsewhere.
Whether or not the Dodgers actually do go all-in on a Shohei Ohtani chase, it shouldn’t affect their dealings with Urías given how threadbare their rotation will be after 2023. Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard will both be free agents as well, but Julio feels that his career and loyalty have not been respected by the Dodgers, and so the end of his days in the City of Angels could be as near as the end of this season.