Julio Urias established himself as an important piece of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation last season, and the two sides will hope that can last long into the future.
The 25-year-old southpaw is eligible to become a free agent after the 2023 season, but the Dodgers still have two more years of team control through salary arbitration. Urias was among the players the Dodgers tendered a contract to before the MLB lockout began.
He was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive $8.8 million, which would represent raise from his $5.2 million salary for the 2021 season.
Although short of that figure, Urias and the Dodgers avoided arbitration as they agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract for the 2022 season, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Julio Urias and the Dodgers have agreed to an $8 million deal to avoid arbitration, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 22, 2022
Along with Urias, the Dodgers tendered contracts to Caleb Ferguson, Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger prior to the lockout. Bellinger and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by signing a one-year deal worth $17 million. He was projected to receive $16.1 million.
Turner and the Dodgers reportedly agreed to a one-year, $21 million contract on Tuesday, and Ferguson settled with the team for a reported $762,500 salary.
Urias posted a 2.96 ERA, 3.13 FIP and 1.02 WHIP across 32 starts in his first full season being a permanent member of the Dodgers’ rotation. He was the Majors’ only 20-game winner last year and logged a career-high 185.2 innings.
Urias was also the recipient of the 2021 Warren Spahn Award, which has been presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame since 1999 to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball. The award takes into account wins, ERA and strikeouts.
Despite the stellar season, Urias did not place among the National League Cy Young Award finalists. He did receive votes, however, and finished in seventh place on the final ballot.
After exclusively being used a starter during the regular season, Urias was deployed in a hybrid role in the playoffs, making two starts and two relief appearances. He went 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 15 innings pitched, collecting 15 strikeouts against three walks.
David Price wants to earn spot in Dodgers rotation
While Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Urias are locked into their rotation spots, the Dodgers still have a battle for the final two spots.
They signed Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney to compete for those roles, while Tony Gonsolin has shown flashes of upside despite his inconsistent outings. L.A. also has David Price on the roster, a former Cy Young Award winner who has almost become a forgotten man.
Price embraced the hybrid role as he was willing to help the Dodgers in any capacity. But now as he enters the final year of his contract, the 36-year-old has higher expectations for himself and hopes to earn a permanent spot in the starting rotation.
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