NY Mets pitcher with inflated spring ERA among MLB veterans with an upcoming opt out

Depth only hurts when it’s a swimming pool and you don’t know how to swim. With a baseball team, you can never have too much of it. That’s why when the New York Mets signed Jose Urena to a minor league contract a few weeks ago there was nothing but a tip of the cap we could’ve given them. A successful swingman at times who can start or pitch in relief, the only take to have on the addition was “what harm could it do?”

MLB Trade Rumors published a list of veteran players on minor league deals with upcoming contract opt outs. Listed, all by himself with the Mets, was Urena.

Based on the spring training results, it’s not exactly a tale of woe if he was to decide to leave. However, with the poor performance, the likelier scenario is for the Mets to part ways instead.

Jose Urena could be gone before we know it by his choice or the team's

In our small dose of Urena, we’ve gotten one shaky outing with 2 unearned runs and another abbreviated performance that launched his ERA into a different stratosphere. His 5 earned runs while retiring one Houston Astros batter put a big dent in his spring training performance. He returned a few days later to strike out the side versus the Washington Nationals. A blistery 19.29 ERA that doesn’t even include a pair of unearned runs is where things stand for him right now.

Statistically, Urena is coming off of what could be perceived as a mostly average season. He made 9 starts and another 24 relief appearances for the Texas Rangers. Logging 109 innings, he was 5-8 with a 3.80 ERA. On a minor league deal, it’s not so bad.

But other problems loomed. A 4.62 FIP hints at him being more lucky than good. His 1.32 WHIP confirms it. Then there is his usual low strikeout total. A career that includes parts of 10 MLB seasons, Urena has fanned batters at a rate of only 6 per 9. Last year was about on-par with what he has done with him at 5.8 per 9.

A ground ball pitcher whose percentage tends to hover just below 50%, he was hit way too often last year. A .254/.321/.399 slash line against him was a tad too high. We do need to be fair. He is very unlikely to ever start a game for the Mets beyond working as an opener of some kind. His ERA in relief for the Rangers was a solid 2.92 but with his prototypical low strikeout rate of 6.1 per 9. While pitching in relief, he held batters to a .239/.320/.342 slash line. It was better but not a significant enough improvement for anyone to consider him for a MLB contract.

Urena doesn’t have much ground to stand on in terms of earning himself a better offer elsewhere. Typically, those opt outs are best used for players who performed well in spring training and have a better opportunity elsewhere. It can’t hurt to keep him around longer—in fact the Mets should lengthen the leash. But don’t be surprised if they cut ties rather than continue with him on the Syracuse roster.