The New York Mets have had a cavalcade of pitching injuries during spring training. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas both signed deals to join the Amazins this winter and may miss Opening Day. With starting depth already a concern, they had to make a move for an extra arm. The Mets signed Jose Urena as a non-roster invitee on Thursday, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“Jose Urena to Mets. Non-roster invite. In Majors $2M plus $750K [performance bonuses],” Heyman reported.
Urena has pitched ten seasons across seven different teams, primarily as a starter. Of his 232 appearances, 152 of them have been starts but last year, he was mostly a reliever. It was a solid year with the Texas Rangers, making nine starts in 33 total appearances with a 3.80 ERA.
With Manaea and Montas potentially out for Opening Day, the Mets' depth will be tested early. Kodai Senga and David Peterson will take the top two spots, followed by converted closer Clay Holmes and journeyman Griffin Canning. Urena helps them take some pressure off top prospects, Brandon Sproat and Christian Scott.
The Mets did get great news on the pitching injury front this week as Paul Blackburn made his spring training debut. He missed the playoffs because of a spinal injury but set the Marlins down in order on Wednesday. If Blackburn can be a mid-rotation starter, their depth will be great by the time Manaea and Montas get back.
There is no word on when Urena will get to Port St Lucie or when he will debut with the Mets. If he makes the big-league roster, it will be a great signing by David Stearns at the last minute. But the signing may be proven irrelevant if either Montas or Manaea come back by the end of spring.
