Free Agent Jose Urena Off To New Arena, Signs For 2026 In Japan

Yet another baseball team will attempt to unlock the power-pitching potential of Jose Urena in 2026. The 34-year-old free agent has signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

The team released these comments attributed to Urena: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to play as a member of The Eagles in Japan. I hope this season will be a good one, and let’s all work hard together, including the fans, to help us advance to the post season.”

Urena has been part of a series of a different kind of releases for the past five years. After spending 12 years in the Miami Marlins’ organization, he has been released to free agency 13 times since 2020.

The native of the Dominican Republic has pitched for 11 different Major League teams, another 16 in the minors. Remarkably, he has never been traded.

Urena received a signing bonus of $52,000 at age 17 in his first contract as an undrafted international free agent with the Marlins in 2008. He pitched for six different Marlins farm teams until making his MLB debut in relief on April 14, 2015. He worked one scoreless inning against the Braves in Atlanta.

A 1-5 record and 5.25 ERA as a rookie got him sent back to the minors. Two years later, he put together by far the best season of his career, going 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA and was considered a rising star.

It was the only winning record for a season Urena has had in the majors, however, as he has battled wildness on the mound. The scouting reports have always rated the right-hander’s velocity as a plus with the caveat that his poor command of the strike zone was a minus. All of this was chronicled by Baseball Prospectus before Urena made the majors.

Injuries have been a factor. On the final day of the 2020 season, with Miami headed to the playoffs, Urena had his pitching forearm broken by a line drive. His season was over. He became a free agent that December.

Wild Pitches Or Wild Behavior?

Urena received a six-game suspension for hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. on the elbow with a fastball on the very first pitch of a game on Aug. 15, 2018.

He had led the National League in wild pitches with 14 the previous year led again with 12 in 2018, but MLB ruled hitting Acuna was intentional. Acuna, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, had gone 8-for-13 with a double, four homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored in the previous three games against Miami. The benches cleared and Urena was ejected.

Urena has continued to throw hard and wild without success. Some attribute his lack of success to attitude. Others point out that while his fastball is quite good, his secondary pitches are mediocre.

Even so, many MLB clubs kept taking a chance on him. He went from the Marlins to the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers through 2024. Last year, the revolving door sent him spinning to five teams, the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels.

He changed uniforms much more than he won. In fact, he had an 0-1 record and 4.58 ERA combined for those clubs.

In the bizarre world of Urena’s career, he became eligible to get a World Series ring and a share of the Dodgers’ winnings. By also playing for Toronto, he was the only man guaranteed to get a ring and winning money no matter who won. He worked 12 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays across six games and 3 innings in 2 appearances for Los Angeles.

Jose Urena’s Future

The right-hander is on a one-year contract in Japan and a good season could earn him yet another chance in the big leagues. It is happening with almost regularity these days.

Cody Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Blue Jays last month. A former Milwaukee Brewers prospect who had pitched briefly – and poorly – for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he went to Japan in 2022 and Korea in 2025. This past season for the Hanwah Eagles, the 31-year-old compiled an incredible 17-1 record and 1.89 ERA.

Drew Anderson, 31, signed a one-year, $7 million deal with Detroit last month. He was with briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers, then went to Japan in 2022.

The right-hander was with the Tigers’ Triple-A team in Toledo to start 2024, then went to Korea. In 54 games there in 2024-25 for SSG Landers, he had a 23-10 record and 403 strikeouts in 287 1/3 innings.

Other pitchers to find rich MLB contracts after returning from Korea, Japan or both in recent years have been Erick Fedde and Merrill Kelly, Miles Mikolas, Colby Lewis and Dietrich Enns. Baseball Hall of Famer Rich (Goose) Gossage even did it. He went to Japan in 1990, then resumed his MLB career with Texas, Oakland and Seattle, retiring in 1994 at age 42.

Perhaps Jose Urena will finally learn to command his fastball, add a better changeup or breaking ball, and harness his emotions. Surely yet another MLB team would then come calling – adding to his strange, meandering career.