Whether to sign contract with left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, is still a matter of interest in the U.S. Major League Baseball. As Major League teams are aggressively offering offers to veteran starting pitchers, experts predict that Ryu will be able to sign a one-year contract without difficulty. The Athletic, a U.S. sports media, checked contract status of top 40 players in the FA as the Winter Meetings ended on Tuesday (Korea time). The top 40 players in the FA were selected based on data analysis and opinions of The Athletic writers Keith Law, Aaron Gleeman, Inno-Sarris, and Jim Bowden. Ryu ranked 36th. Britain placed Ryu at 36th, Sarris at 27th, Bowden at 35th, while Law and Gleeman ranked Ryu off the list. Anyway, based on a combination of five players, Ryu was listed in the top 40.
The Athletic anticipated that Ryu will still be able to win a one-year, 11 million-dollar contract. They selected three teams that will match Ryu well: the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Mets. These teams need to strengthen their starting pitchers. Just as two out of five viewed Ryu Hyun-jin out of the rankings, the evaluation of Ryu Hyun-jin is not only favorable. The age of turning 37 next year and the history of Tommy John surgery last year are certainly obstacles. However, Scott Boras, Ryu’s agent, is confident that he will play in the Major League. Ahead of the winter meeting, Boras expressed his confidence that “big league teams are still showing considerable interest. Ryu will pitch in the Major League next year, not in Korea.” 사설 토토사이트
The Athletic said, “Ryu Hyun-jin boasts a long injury history, having thrown more than 100 innings only three times in the last eight seasons, but he remained surprisingly effective until his mid-30s. During his four-year, $80 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays (just before the 2020 season), he started 60 games with a 3.97 ERA. At the age of 37, he will almost certainly be pushed back to being an FA on a one-year contract and will be tasked with supporting a solid player in the starting rotation.” We put more weight on the uncertain situation and negative opinions, which are not very hopeful and not very hopeless. The Athletic said, “Ryu had an average fastball speed of 88.6 miles last season, one of the slowest Major League starters ever. However, if he throws the ball at the highest speed in good health, he can hit over 90 miles. Ryu has succeeded in almost the same way that he has done so far. While making the most of the strike zone, he fought with the right-handed batter by mixing changeups and occasional curves. Still, it is questionable whether Ryu will be able to see an upturn.”
Ryu has declined to elaborate on the contract so far. Currently, he is staying in Korea and leaving negotiations with Major League Baseball teams to Boras. Ryu cautiously expected that the outline would be made in mid-December after the winter meeting, but that time is approaching. Veteran starters such as Kenta Maeda of the Detroit Tigers, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals reported on the signing of one to two-year contracts. Boras firmly said Ryu Hyun-jin will remain in the U.S., but he also has no chance of returning to Korea. It may be difficult to sign a contract worth more than $11 million in Korea, but if you want a more stable life, you can choose to return to the KBO League with the best treatment in Korea. Outfielder Choo Shin-soo signed with SSG Landers in 2021 and received an annual salary of 2.7 billion won when he first came to the KBO League. Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to want that kind of treatment.
Ryu said he would definitely wear the Hanwha Eagles uniform when he returns to Korea, and the Hanwha Eagles is preparing to welcome him anytime by managing the salary cap. Since signing Ahn Chi-hong, an outside FA infielder, for 4+2 years, for 7.2 billion won. In the second draft, the Hanwha Eagles chose to recruit pitchers Lee Sang-gyu, Bae Min-seo, and outfielder Kim Kang-min at low prices to reinforce its power. Hanwha has yet to form a “one, two punch” for foreigners. It has included both Felix Peña and Ricardo Sanchez as pending players and has them subject to renewal of their contracts, but if a better player is available, they can replace him. For now, we are looking into the market conditions further. Except for Moon Dong-ju, the Rookie of the Year award, no Korean starting pitcher has exceeded 100 innings. This was the aftermath of Kim Min-woo, who was the first starting pitcher in Korea, leaving the team due to a shoulder injury, but the team needs to have a solid starting lineup. Hence, we are keeping an eye on Ryu’s moves.
Ryu Hyun-jin recorded 186 games, 78 wins and 48 losses, 1,055 ⅓ innings and 3.27 ERA in 10 years in the big leagues from 2013 to this year. After returning from injury, he struggled because he was exhausted at the end of the season, but he showed his potential to shake off an elbow injury and get back on his feet by recording 3 wins, 3 losses, 52 innings and 3.46 ERA in 11 games. Which league will Ryu play in next season? This raises questions about whether he will be able to join the team soon as expected.