NPB's Rakuten Golden Eagles sign former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander to one-year contract

NPB's Rakuten Golden Eagles announced this week that they've signed veteran right-hander José Ureña to a one-year contract for the 2026 season.

It'll be the first stint overseas for the 34-year old, who's previously pitched for 11 major league clubs, including five teams in 2025 alone.

Urena split the 2025 campaign between the Blue Jays, Mets, Twins, Dodgers and Angels.

He logged a combined 55 innings between that quintet of clubs and worked to a 4.58 ERA.

Urena fanned just 13.9% of his opponents and turned in a 9.4% walk rate. The 96.2 mph average on his four-seamer was the second-best mark he's posted in any of his 11 major league seasons.

Between those declining rate stats and the dizzying toll of pitching between five different teams in a single season, Urena presumably welcomes the opportunity to have a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season.

Urena's last stint in the majors was with the Angels where he signed as a free agent back in August after being designated for assignment by the Twins.

With a nice year overseas, he could position himself for another one-year pact with the Rakuten Golden Eagles, and if he makes some meaningful changes to his repertoire, it's possible he'll end up back in the major league mix next year, either on a non-roster deal or a small one-year guarantee.

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