After returning from 14 months of rehabilitation following elbow ligament splicing surgery, Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, is now eligible for free agency.
There is speculation that Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in need of starting pitching talent may be interested in signing him. However, there is skepticism about a multi-year contract.
The New York Post published a list of projected salaries for 16 starting pitchers on the free agent market on Wednesday. Major League Baseball columnist John Heyman and two anonymous experts gave their opinions, with Ryu coming in at 15th out of 16.
First, they predicted that Ryu will not be overlooked by major league teams, saying, “He’s going to get a major league contract because of the way he finished this season.”
They predicted a contract of up to one year and $13 million. The lowest estimate was $10 million plus incentives.
That’s more than Jim Borden, who previously served as general manager of the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds and is a columnist for The Athletic, who predicted a one-year, $8 million deal for Ryu.
Local experts saw it as a positive that Ryu returned healthy and showed he was healthy. “Ryu has been impressive since his return,” said Borden.
After undergoing surgery in June last year, Ryu returned to the majors in August. He pitched in 11 games, going 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA. His velocity was down, but he used his signature arm-tone pitches to hold batters to three runs or less in nine of those 11 games, and he kept his walks per inning (WHIP) to 1.29.
Ryu himself was pleased with his performance, saying, “I think I did a good enough job just to come back healthy.”
He only pitched more than six innings once, and that was under the care of the Toronto coaching staff. The number of innings pitched could increase.
Ryu will be 37 years old next year, but his age shouldn”t be an obstacle. Major League Baseball teams are not afraid to acquire players in their mid-to-late 30s with proven skills to bolster their lineup. Borden mentioned the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers as possible destinations for Ryu.
However, it remains to be seen if Ryu will be able to sign a multi-year deal.
Local experts believe that Ryu will likely sign a one-year deal, although they expect him to be treated somewhat as a starter. 보스토토
While Ryu has been a consistent performer in the majors, winning a career-high 78 games, it’s hard to see him getting a multi-year deal as he’ll be playing his first full season after surgery. Next season will be a test to see if Ryu can still be competitive.