Mexican Baseball Team Opens Door for Former Dodger Julio Urias
Julio Urias's career as a Dodger is over. At one point 12 months ago, the LA front office might have seriously considered spending $200-plus on the left-handed ace coming off a National League ERA title in 2022 and a 37-10 record over the previous two seasons. Teams around Major League Baseball might have paid even more to add him to the top of their starting rotation.
Now he may never pitch for an MLB team again.
Urias remains on paid administrative leave while the league investigates a September 3 arrest following a physical altercation outside BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. If and when a punishment is handed down for being a two time violator of the joint domestic violence policy, Urias could be suspended for multiple seasons or even possibly for life from playing baseball in the United States.
A team in Mexico, however, has thrown its name in the ring to potentially welcome the embattled hurler to the roster. According to the Spanish publication Diario AS, reports suggest that the Tomateros de Culiacán may have an interest in Urias.
“We, as a league, condemn any form of violence, whether it be gender-based or domestic. He needs to conclude this legal process in the United States and determine its outcome. We must wait and see what the player decides,” president of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, Carlos Manrique, stated in an interview with the Multimedios television network recently.
However, he made it clear that the possibility of a future arrival is not ruled out, saying, “There is always an option, there are always possibilities.”
With the door closed on a return to the Dodgers -- and just about every moment or bit of memorabilia featuring his likeness removed from Dodger Stadium -- Urias would face an uphill battle to re-establish himself in MLB.
Reports of what is alleged to have transpired on the night of Sep. 3 are terrible and if any of it is true, Urias has no place in Major League Baseball.
