Pitcher Urias pleads no contest to battery charge
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge tied to his September arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.
Urias was placed on 36 months of summary probation and ordered to complete 30 days of community labor as well as a 52-week domestic violence counseling course, a spokesperson for the L.A. City Attorney’s Office said. In addition, Urias, 27, must pay a domestic violence fund fee, not possess any weapons, not use any force or violence, pay restitution to the victim and abide by a protective order.
The four other misdemeanor charges against Urias — an additional count of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, as well as one count each of spousal battery, false imprisonment and assault — were dismissed.
Urias was originally arrested Sept. 3 on suspicion of felony domestic violence for an incident that occurred in the parking lot of BMO Stadium after an LAFC soccer match, during which an eyewitness saw Urias get into a physical altercation with his wife. Urias was booked on suspicion of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and released on $50,000 bail the following morning.
The California Highway Patrol’s major crimes division spent the ensuing three months investigating the incident before handing the case over to the L.A. District Attorney’s Office on Dec. 11. A little less than a month later, the district attorney’s office ruled that it would not file felony charges against Urias.
Prosecutors wrote in a charge evaluation worksheet that Urias pushed his wife against a fence and “pulled her by the hair or shoulders” but added that “neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing.”
Three months later, on April 9, the city attorney’s office filed five misdemeanor charges against Urias, four of which carried a maximum penalty of one year in L.A. County jail.
Major League Baseball launched a separate investigation that might be on the verge of completion now that the legal process has played out, though a timeline is unknown.
Urias, once one of the brightest young pitchers in the sport, could become the first player to be suspended twice under MLB’s domestic violence policy, which launched in September 2015. He was originally suspended 20 games by MLB in August 2019 in the wake of an arrest on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery, though he was not criminally charged in that incident.
Urias’ attorney could not be reached for comment. An MLB spokesperson declined comment.
Signed out of Mexico shortly after his 16th birthday, Urias navigated through the Dodgers’ farm system as a prized prospect, eventually joining the team as a 19-year-old rookie in 2016. He then returned from major shoulder surgery to become an important contributor on championship-caliber teams, recording the final out of the 2020 World Series, accumulating 20 wins in 2021 and finishing third in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2022.
As a young free agent with relatively few innings under his belt, Urias was widely projected to sign a $200-plus million contract this past offseason before the arrest, but now his MLB future appears to be in jeopardy.
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
The New York Mets and left-hander A.J. Minter have agreed on a two-year, $22 million contract Friday, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, giving a team starved for bullpen help one of the best relievers on the free-agent market.
The deal, which is pending a physical, includes an opt-out after the 2025 season. SNY first reported the agreement.
Minter, 31, was a key contributor during the Atlanta Braves’ recent run of success, posting a 3.28 ERA across 384 relief appearances since debuting in 2017. He was a member of the 2021 World Series championship club and enjoyed his best full season the following year, pitching to a 2.06 ERA in 75 games. Hip inflammation limited Minter to 39 appearances in 2024, but he was effective when healthy with a 2.62 ERA over 34 ⅓ innings in a setup role.
He joins a club that prioritized acquiring a top-flight reliever this winter to partner with closer Edwin Diaz late in games. Being a lefty checks another box for New York, which, as it currently stands, has just one other left-handed reliever (Alex Young) on their 40-man roster.
The bullpen addition comes a day after the club reached a one-year deal with veteran outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker, who figures to be primarily used as a DH against right-handed pitchers.
Pete Alonso, the Mets’ homegrown star first baseman, remains a free agent. The two sides have attempted to negotiate a reunion, but they’ve recently reached an impasse over money on a three-year contract, according to a source. Without Alonso, the Mets could move third baseman Mark Vientos, a breakout star in 2024, across the diamond to first base with former top prospect Brett Baty, prospect Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna as internal candidates to start at third base.
TORONTO — The Blue Jays acquired $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians that could be used in their pursuit of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as part of a trade Friday that also brought underperforming outfielder Myles Straw to Toronto.
Cleveland will send $3.75 million to the Blue Jays, offsetting some of the $14.75 million Straw is guaranteed for the final two years of a $25 million, five-year contract. The Guardians will receive a player to be named or cash.
Toronto boosted its international signing pool to $8,261,600 and had not signed any players since the 2025 window opened Wednesday, leaving the entire amount available for Sasaki.
Also being being pursued by the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, the 23-year-old right-hander has until Thursday to reach agreement with a Major League Baseball team. He is considered an international amateur by MLB and can sign only a minor league contract subject to the same bonus pools as Latin American prospects.
Straw has salaries of $6 million this year and $7 million in 2026 and is guaranteed a $1.75 million buyout of a 2027 team option. Cleveland will send Toronto $1 million this year, $1 million in 2026 and $1.75 million at the end of 2026.
Cleveland agreed to the long-term deal in April 2022 but Straw hit just .221 with no homers, 32 RBIs and 21 stolen bases that year, then batted .238 with 1 homer, 29 RBIs and 20 steals in 2023.
He was sent outright to Triple-A Columbus in April and hit .240 with 3 homers, 47 RBIs and 30 steals. Cleveland brought him up in September, and he went 1-for-4 over seven games.
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