Could José Ureña DFA come back to haunt the Blue Jays?

33-year-old José Ureña just cleared waivers and elected free agency instead of a minor league assignment with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ureña came to Toronto in a time of pure desperation as the Blue Jays were left scrambling trying to fill out their rotation and ease the burden on an overworked bullpen in early May. With Max Scherzer’s nagging thumb injury keeping him on the injured list, the Blue Jays signed the right-handed Ureña to a one year deal, hoping he could stem the tide.

Through six appearances he was basically league average. He posted a 0.1 bWAR with a 3.65 ERA in 12 1/3 innings as both a starter and a reliever. While he didn’t strike out a ton of guys with just five K’s and a 3.9 SO/9 rate, he had a decent fastball, ranking in the 83rd percentile at 96.3 mph.

Ureña also managed to limit the damage while on the mound. Over his last three outings he didn’t allow an earned run, covering five innings of four-hit ball against three different opponents. This makes the timing of his DFA seem questionable on the Blue Jays side. While they have Erik Swanson returning to the bullpen, Ureña seemed like he was starting to fit in with this group.

The Blue Jays can scarcely afford to let capable arms walk away for nothing. A prime example is what happened with Ryan Yarbrough when the Blue Jays didn’t bring him to the big leagues coming out of spring training. Yarbrough decided instead to sign with the rival Yankees, and he has been a welcomed addition to that pitching staff.

Yarbrough has allowed just nine earned runs over his last 39 2/3 innings pitched, filling a valuable “swing-man” role with a 4.15 ERA in 15 innings out of the bullpen and a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings as a starter. He’s pitched five innings or more in four of his five starts and hasn’t allowed more than one earned run just once in those games. His most impressive performance of the season came just this past week when he kept the LA Dodgers off balance for most of the game, helping the Yankees avoid a sweep.

While Ureña may not have put up those numbers, he was looking more and more comfortable with every outing in a Blue Jays jersey. Now the 11-year veteran will hit the free agent market for the second time this season, hoping to join his third team after beginning the season with the New York Mets.