Dodgers Team News

Julio Urias Free Agency: MLB Insider Predicts Massive Pay Day for Dodgers Ace

After a short rough patch, Julio Urias is back to being his dominant self. The ace picked up win number 5 on the season and lowered his season ERA to 3.61 after a solid 7 inning showing against the Padres. If the left-hander keeps it up, he’s en route to not only his first All-Star berth (after being snubbed in each of the last two seasons) but also a healthy payday in the offseason.

Julio’s next contract was the subject of a recent column by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal. In the eyes of The Athletic scribe, Urias could be well on his way to securing the second richest free agent deal for a pitcher in MLB history.



Urías, assuming he stays healthy, stands an excellent chance at becoming only the seventh pitcher to sign a contract of $200 million or more, and a reasonable chance of exceeding the $245 million the Nationals awarded Stephen Strasburg during the 2019-20 offseason for No. 2 on that list.

Via The Athletic

Right-hander Gerrit Cole signed a 9 year, $324 million deal with the Yankees during the 2019-2020 offseason, which is the richest on record for a pitcher.

The last time the Dodgers handed out a deal to a pitcher in the stratosphere Rosenthal is predicting was back in 2014 to a fella by the name of Clayton Kershaw. Although not a free agent deal, Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed to a 7 year, $215 million deal with an opt out after 5 seasons. He did opt out after the 2018 season and the two sides agreed to an extension that added one year to his overall contract but it was considered a 3 year, $93 million deal.

So, the Dodgers have shown they’re willing to pay… but not often.

If Julio Urias reaches free agency (which he will because Scott Boras), LA won’t be the only team in the mix. Even if there’s an obvious desire from both sides to continue working together, teams like Yankees and Mets will likely be in the mix on the left-hander. Rosenthal also mentioned the Angels and Padres as suitors for Julio’s services.

Shohei Ohtani is the clear prize of the upcoming offseason when it comes to pitchers — and hitters for that matter) but Julio Urias will be right there behind him to sign with whoever just misses out on Shohei.

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

One Comment

  1. You will not get a greater competitor than ” Urias ” the Man is absolute on Baseball. He has 4 pitches and a nasty reputation in Protecting his Team . Urias will sign back to the Dodgers and the Fan Base that loves him back and forth . Say Hey Urias you belong to L A ….. !

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