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Blitzer Report mentioned Ryu Hyun-jin as the seventh FA starter after Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Mike Clevinger, Clayton Kershaw, Michael Lorenzen and James Paxton, predicting that Ryu Hyun-jin will sign a one-year $8 million (about 10.5 billion won) contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bleacher Report turned its time to the 2019-2020 offseason, which hit the FA jackpot to set Ryu Hyun-jin's value. The media reminded, "Ryu Hyun-jin headed to Toronto for a four-year $80 million (about 105.2 billion won) in the 2019-2020 offseason, but only Gerrit Cole (nine years, $324 million), Stephen Strasburg (seven years, $245 million), Jack Wheeler (five years, $118 million) and Madison Bumgarner (five years, $85 million)."
However, even with the big deal, Ryu's life in Toronto ended in vain. "Ryu Hyun-jin made 31 starts in 2021 after finishing third in the 2020 American League Cy Young Award voting," Bleacher Report pointed out. "However, he missed a considerable amount of time due to Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation, which ended up only playing 79 innings in his final two years in Toronto."
Media outlets viewed the single-year contract as the most appropriate contract size reflecting the reality of 37-year-old Ryu Hyun-jin. At the same time, the 37-year-old gave the impression that he could display competitive edge in the starting rotation of the Major League Baseball for about a year.
Bleacher Report praised Ryu's competitiveness in the 2024 season, saying, "Ryu Hyun-jin returned from Tommy John surgery last year and pitched well enough. However, it is surprising that no club has yet asked Ryu to sign a one-year contract. Especially considering that other mid-level starting pitchers have signed one after another."
Aiming to stay in the Major League, Ryu is constantly connected to multiple teams including the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants, waiting for the right moment. He has turned 37 this year, but the evaluation in the U.S. including Bleacher Report is not bad. Although his heyday is over, he is expected to be able to select the fourth or fifth starting pitcher in the Major League. His abundant experience, record, and accurate ball control are considered his biggest strength.
Toronto has established solid strength up to its fourth starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bashit and Yusei Kikuchi. On top of that, if Alec Manoa, ranking third in the 2022 American League Cy Young Award, gets the final puzzle together, a perfect fifth starting pitcher will be created. However, looking at Toronto's recent two years, the rest of the starters, except for the one-two punch, have always been suffering from ups and downs, adding to the bench's agony. If an experienced veteran named Ryu supports his back, he can stabilize his power even further. Unlike four years ago when he served as an ace pitcher, Ryu is expected to sign a fifth-line issuance contract, which makes him less burdened.
Meanwhile, Bleacher Report predicted the destinations of top tier FA starters in 2024 along with Ryu. Snell is expected to go to San Francisco for a five-year deal of 125 million U.S. dollars, while Montgomery is expected to sign a five-year deal with the Texas Rangers for 100 million dollars. Kershaw, the heart of the Los Angeles Dodgers, predicted a rather shocking prospect that he would remain an unsigned player until the opening game. 파친코