Marlins trade for Cimber, designate Ureña
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MIAMI -- With Wednesday’s non-tender deadline approaching, speculation had been growing that José Ureña’s tenure with the Marlins might be coming to an end.
The organization made that official on Monday, as the 29-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment. Ureña’s 40-man roster spot was quickly filled as the Marlins also announced they had acquired right-handed reliever Adam Cimber from the Indians for cash considerations.
Cimber, 30, made 14 appearances for Cleveland in 2020, sporting a 3.97 ERA with five strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.
Ureña, who signed with the Marlins as an international free agent in 2008, had a rough 2020 season, which started with him testing positive for COVID-19. In the final game of the regular season, Ureña suffered a non-displaced ulna fracture in his right forearm after he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Yankees star DJ LeMahieu. In five starts in '20, Ureña was 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA.
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Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET is the non-tender deadline for all arbitration-eligible players.
Ureña’s roster spot became vulnerable because the veteran right-hander made $3.75 million in 2020, and with one year remaining in arbitration, he wasn’t guaranteed a rotation spot.
The frontrunners for those spots are Sandy Alcantara, Pablo López, Sixto Sánchez, Elieser Hernandez and Trevor Rogers. Prospects Edward Cabrera, Nick Neidert, Daniel Castano and Braxton Garrett are also in the mix.
The Marlins’ Opening Day starter in 2018 and '19, Ureña dealt with a herniated disk in '19 that limited him to 24 games (13 starts).
Ureña’s best two seasons were in 2017 -- when he went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 169 2/3 innings -- and '18, when he was 9-12 with a 3.98 ERA in a career-high 174 innings. Ureña also was suspended for six games in 2018 for hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves with a pitch.
In his six years with the Marlins, Ureña was 32-46 with a 4.60 ERA. He ranks 12th in franchise history with 406 strikeouts and 13th with 98 starts.
Cimber has appeared in 152 games in three MLB seasons, all of them in relief, and he has a 9-12 record and a 3.89 ERA in 136 1/3 innings. He provides big league experience in an area of need for the Marlins.