Dodgers Rumors: Insider Predicts Julio Urias Re-Signs With LA on Reasonable 5-Year Deal

Despite all the buzz around Shohei Ohtani’s pending free agency, one of the Dodgers’ priorities for the offseason could be retaining one of their own.

In the mind of at least one writer, Los Angeles should look to retain lefty Julio Urias on a long term deal this winter given his previous pedigree for the team.

By all rights, he should be perhaps the second-best player on the market this winter. He can claim to be a 20-game winner, an ERA champion, a Cy Young Award finalist and a World Series champ, and all before he even turned 27. Right now, though, Urías isn’t even a league-average pitcher amid a season marked by challenges aplenty. Either way, it’s hard to imagine him leaving Chavez Ravine. Even if they can’t simply retain him via the qualifying offer, there will be that much more pressure on the Dodgers to bring Urías back if Kershaw does indeed retire.

via Zachary D. Rymer, Bleacher Report

Though not nearly as efficient or effective as in years past for the Boys in Blue, Urias has still provided some valuable innings for a club hampered by injury in the starting rotation.

With an ERA at 4.39 and a home run rate far higher than we’re used to seeing from Urias, this hasn’t been his best season by any stretch of the imagination.

Given his current performance, but also taking his last two impressive campaigns into consideration, the Mexican international product gets an average yearly value of $21 million to stay a Dodger.

It’s a fair price for the man who debuted in 2016 at just age 19 as one of the youngest ever to do so for the franchise on the mound.

A multi-time All-MLB 2nd Team selection as a starter for his 2021 and 2022 seasons, Urias provided a bulk of the work amidst rotational injuries in each year for the team.

The draw of Shohei Ohtani certainly sounds nice in Dodger blue, but maybe not at the expense of losing one of the Dodgers’ most iconic pitchers of the past decade.

While speculation remains just that for the offseason, Urias could be receiving some support in the starting rotation and returning help in the bullpen as his teammates return from their long term injuries.

The goal isn’t a massive payday for the lefty in the short term, but doing whatever he can to hoist another World Series trophy with Los Angeles come October.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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