Until the start of the 2023 season, neither Yoshinobu Yamamoto nor Blake Snell was the starting pitcher for the free agent (FA) market after the season. Except for Shohei Ohtani, who also works as a pitcher, there was little disagreement that the biggest fish was by far Julio Urías (28).
He had all the conditions for a “jackpot.” He was clearly capable. Urías, who grew up hearing voices of “genius” and the successor to Dodgers’ iconic Clayton Kershaw, made his Major League debut in 2016 at the age of 20. The Dodgers cherished Urías to take steps and adapt himself to the Major League. Although his sudden shoulder injury raised concerns, Urías made a successful comeback and began to play as a starting ace in 2020.
Urías started the game in earnest with three wins and no losses with a 3.27 ERA in 11 matches in 2020 that were played for a shorter season in the wake of the novel coronavirus infection disease (COVID-19). The following year, he started 32 games and pitched 185 ⅔, exploding his potential with an outstanding performance of 20 wins, three losses and a 2.96 ERA. He was seventh in the voting for the Cy Young Award in the National League. 온라인카지노
In 2022, he performed even better. In 31 games, he pitched 175 innings, 17 wins and 7 losses and an earned run average of 2.16, ranking first in the National League in ERA, third in Cy Young Award voting, and 14th in MVP voting. He was expected to become a free agent after the 2023 season. Amid the assessment that he will be eligible to sign a contract for more than seven years, positive predictions have been made that he will reach a total of 200 million dollars.
His performance in 2023 was not very good. His ball speed dropped a bit early in the season, and his command was shaky. He was 11-8 with a 4.60 ERA in 21 games. Still, no one threw up at Urías’ market value. Still, it was the biggest catch. However, a critical incident ruined Urías’ career. It was a huge incident that even failed to pass the top spot in the starting FA power rankings.
When it was reported that Urías was arrested on domestic violence charges on Sept. 4, 2023, he drew attention from all around the Major League. He was suspected of assaulting a woman he accompanied at a BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. Urías, who was arrested urgently, was released on $50,000 bail, but the aftermath was devastating. Major League Baseball is an organization that is very sensitive to domestic violence, violence against women and children. As the Major League Secretariat issued an administrative leave of absence on September 7, he blocked Urías’ path to play in the game. The LA Dodgers, the original team, had no choice but to wait and see.
This is not the first time that the word “domestic violence” has been inscribed in Urías’ career. In 2019, he also had a dark history of being suspended for 20 games due to domestic violence. In any country, the punishment of recidivism is severe. Ultimately, Urías completely disappeared and is no longer mentioned.
Other players who were rated worse than Urias have hit the jackpot one after another. Aaron Nola, 31, who had a 3.72 ERA in the Major League and 4.46 ERA in 32 games last year, signed a huge contract worth 172 million dollars for seven years. This was the starting point that confirmed inflation in the pitching market. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was initially expected to be around 200 million dollars, signed a 12-year contract with the Dodgers for a total of 325 million dollars.
The Urías case was passed on to the prosecution late last year after being passed on to the police. It may be possible to avoid judicial action, but once the violence has been revealed, it will be difficult to avoid severe disciplinary action at the league level. Even if he returns, he could lose a large part or the entire 2024 season. Of course, there are no major league teams that come into contact with him. There is no need to carry negative public opinion when he cannot use it right away.
There is no doubt that Urías would have made at least $200 million in this market if he had finished the season healthy without such problems, regardless of his performance. In the current market situation, there was a higher probability of going into the mid or late stage than in the early $200 million range. Unable to control his anger, perhaps due to personal issues, Urías’ career is threatening. With the return to the Major League itself uncertain, the problem is no longer even the FA.