Gio Urshela Announces Retirement

Gio Urshela announced his retirement as a player and thanked family, friends, fans, baseball organizations, coaches, and the people of Colombia. Signed by Cleveland in 2008 for a $300K bonus, he developed a reputation as a plus defender at third base while also playing other infield spots. His early offensive profile in the minors showed limited strikeouts but few walks, leaving questions about power. He reached the majors in 2015, offering strong defense with modest production, and was designated for assignment in 2018. After a cash trade to Toronto and clearing waivers, he was traded to the Yankees late in 2018. In 2019, injuries to Miguel Andujar opened a starting role, and Urshela produced 21 home runs with a .314/.355/.534 slash line and a 132 wRC+.

"Infielder Gio Urshela has announced his retirement as a player in a post on his Instagram page. In the post, he thanks the people who contributed to his career, including his family, friends, fans, baseball organizations, coaches, the people of Colombia and more."

"Urshela, now 34, was signed by Cleveland back in 2008. An international amateur out of Colombia, he secured a signing bonus of $300K. He quickly developed a reputation as a plus defender at third base while also dabbling at the other infield positions. His bat was a bit more questionable. He didn't strike out much in the minors but also didn't draw many walks and it wasn't clear how much thump he could produce with his contact approach."

"He cracked the majors in 2015. His initial big league opportunities matched his profile. He could pick the ball at third and didn't strike out a lot but also didn't produce offensively. He was eventually designated for assignment in 2018 and flipped to the Blue Jays in a cash deal. The Jays put him on waivers later that year and the 29 other clubs all declined a chance to claim him. At that time, he had 499 major league plate appearances and a .225/.274/.315 line."

"The Jays traded Urshela to the Yankees for cash late in 2018. He began the following season as non-roster depth for Miguel Andujar, who had just finished a solid rookie campaign, finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Shohei Ohtani. Early in the 2019 campaign, Andujar suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that would eventually require season-ending surgery. Though that was unfortunate for Andujar, it turned out to be the opportunity for Urshela to break out. Urshela took over the third base job in the Bronx that year with a big step forward offensively."

Read at MLB Trade Rumors