‘Human victory drama’ RYU is amazing! ‘ FA’ not ‘Korean return’ local prospect comes out “ML contract justified”

The value of Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays) 메이저사이트 is still solid. There are reports in the United States that Ryu Hyun-jin will sign a contract with a major league team next season.

MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR), a website that covers major league baseball transactions in the United States, reported on June 6 (KST) that “the offseason has begun for the Toronto Blue Jays, who were eliminated from the postseason by the Minnesota Twins,” and covered Ryu’s news along with other players who are set to leave the team.

“Ryu Hyun-jin met with local reporters in the U.S. the day before (May 5) and expressed his desire to stay in the U.S. Major League Baseball,” MLBTR said.

“Ryu is in the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract with Toronto,” MLBTR continued. “Hyun-jin Ryu began his career with Toronto in 2020, when he was a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award.

“Hyun-jin posted a 4.37 ERA and 4.02 FIP in 2021, missing most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to elbow ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery).” Ryu underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow during the 2022 season and spent nearly a year rehabbing.

According to MLBTR, “Ryu returned this season after the surgery, making 11 starts and posting a 3.46 ERA. Overall, the 36-year-old southpaw posted a 3.97 ERA and 4.02 FIP in 315 innings of work with the Blue Jays, including a 3.46 ERA across eleven starts this season after returning from surgery,” MLBTR said.

“Ryu confirmed to reporters yesterday that he hopes to continue pitching in MLB in 2024,” MLBTR continued, adding, “He’s still one of the options for free agent starters, and it seems reasonable to expect Ryu to find a big league deal somewhere.” Ben Nicholson-Smith of Canadian outlet Sportsnet wrote on his social media account on Friday that “Ryu wants to sign with a major league team next season.”

“The veteran has had a long injury history, but Ryu has been a good pitcher when healthy since his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013,” MLBTR wrote. He’s been effective when healthy since debuting with the Dodgers back in 2013, with a career 3.27 ERA and 3.53 FIP, respectively.”


Now that Ryu’s four-year run with Toronto has come to an end, attention is turning to his future.

The Toronto Blue Jays fell 0-2 in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series for the 2023 Major League Baseball postseason against the Minnesota Twins on Friday at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the second straight loss in the best-of-three wild-card series for Toronto, which had gone 1-3 in the first round of the wild-card series. Toronto also made it to the wild-card series last season, but were eliminated in two games by the Seattle Mariners.

For Ryu, it’s been a disappointing postseason. Ryu was removed from the previously announced Wild Card Series roster and packed up his belongings, no longer playing fall ball. Toronto went into the Wild Card Series with Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios as their starting pitching options, with Chris Bassett and Yusei Kikuchi also on the roster. However, their inability to lead the team to victory in the Wild Card Series coincided with the fall of Hyun-jin Ryu.

If Toronto won the Wild Card Series and advanced to the best-of-five division series and then the best-of-seven championship series, there was still hope for Ryu to play. If the series went longer, Ryu would have been valuable. According to local media in the U.S., manager John Schneider even spoke to local reporters and assured them that he was on track to be ready. But in the end, the report card was a chilling postseason exit.


In total, Ryu appeared in 60 games for Toronto, compiling a 24-15 record. In 2020, he went 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in the 60-game shortened season and finished third in the American League Cy Young Award. He followed that up with a career-high 14 wins in 2021. However, his ERA was a bit higher at 4.37. Last year, his season ended prematurely after six games due to elbow ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery). The surgery was successful. After undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery last year, Ryu returned in August and had a successful season. He started 11 games this season and posted a 3-3 record in 52 innings pitched. Although he no longer has the fastball that overwhelmed hitters in the past, he has developed a more refined delivery and command of his pitches. Add to that a sharper, ultra-slow curveball, and you have a recipe for major league hitters. Although he had a poor outing against the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of the season, it was still a season that showed his value. What’s more, Ryu had just returned from rehab, so it was a human triumph story.


In the U.S., the pitcher’s second elbow surgery was cited as a model of success. Ryu had elbow ligament splicing surgery in 2004, when he was a sophomore at Dongsan High School. He went under the knife again in June of last year for his second elbow ligament reconstruction. After rehabilitation, he returned to the field and pitched well, much to the surprise of many in the United States. The Associated Press called his second elbow ligament splicing surgery a best practice, while another outlet, FanGraphs, said, “Ryu spent a record 18 years between his first and second elbow surgeries. Ryu is one of 14 pitchers who have had elbow ligament reconstruction surgery since 2021 and one of only three to have a successful comeback. He has pitched exceptionally well in the games he has started this season.”

Ryu has already been mentioned as a multi-year contract prospect. In September, MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, listed nine prospective free agents who should have a good 2023 season, and Ryu’s name was among them. “Typically, it takes some time to get back on track after elbow ligament splicing surgery,” MLB.com wrote. “Hyun-jin Ryu has done a great job filling the fifth starter’s spot after Alec Manoa was sent down to the minors twice this season,” said MLB.com. “The 36-year-old won’t get a four-year, $80 million contract, but if he continues to perform like he has, he could get a multi-year deal with good terms.”

Now that he’s declared his intentions to stay in the majors, the question is which teams will reach out to him in free agency. If he doesn’t pitch in the majors and returns to South Korea, he should definitely return to his “home” team, the Hanwha Eagles. However, it will be a while before we see him on the Korean stage.

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