Worst starter on Tigers' 2021 pitching staff lands minor league deal with Mets

After multiple spring training injuries ravaged their pitching staff, the New York Mets have brought in a former Detroit Tigers right-hander to add some depth to their rotation.

Jose Ureña, now infamous in Detroit for being the worst starter in the Tigers' 2021 rotation, joined the Mets at camp this week as a non-roster invitee on a minor league deal worth $2 million. His contract also includes another $750,000 available via incentives, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

During Ureña's one-year stint in Detroit, he made 26 appearances, including 18 starts. He recorded a 5.81 ERA, his second-highest mark in a season up to that point. He ended up losing his spot in the the Tigers' starting rotation, and the club didn't re-sign him for the following year.

Former Tigers pitcher José Ureña lands minor league deal with Mets

The 33-year-old Ureña has been a starter for the majority of his 10-year MLB career, but he found success as a reliever last year with the Texas Rangers. In 109 innings, primarily out of the bullpen, he posted a career-best 3.80 ERA.

Originally signed by the Miami Marlins as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, Ureña made his big league debut in 2015. He spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Marlins before signing with the Tigers in 2021. From there, he went on to play for three different teams over the next two seasons, though he only made 10 starts during that span.

After finding some stability in the Rangers' bullpen last season, Ureña can provide the Mets with some valuable relief depth as well. If he does break camp with the big league club, it'll likely be as a swingman. If he doesn't, he will be able to opt back into the market as an Article XX(b) free agent with more than six years of service time who finished the prior season on a Major League roster.

In the meantime, the Mets will have to hope they are getting the Rangers' version of Ureña and not the Tigers' version.

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