He returned from injury and performed admirably, but somehow fell off the radar of teams. Now that he is in free agency, Ryu, 36, could be reunited with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“Toronto’s thick starting rotation is drawing offers from other teams,” The Athletic reported on Sept. 19 (KST), adding that a trade could be in the works for a team in need of a bat.
The story mentions right-hander Alec Manoa, 25. Known to South Korean fans as “Ryu Hyun-jin Bae,” who learned his pitching motion and mechanics from Ryu Hyun-jin, Manoa had his worst season this year, unlike his first two. He made his major league debut in 2021 and finished eighth in American League Rookie of the Year voting with a 9-2 record and 3.22 ERA in 20 games in his first season. Last year, he improved even more, going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA. He finished third in the league’s Cy Young Award voting, behind Justin Verlander (Houston) and Dylan Seager (Chicago White Sox).
This season, however, he started 19 games and posted a dismal 3-9 record with a 5.87 ERA. His walks per inning allowed (WHIP) has skyrocketed from 0.99 last year to 1.74 this year. His walks per nine innings nearly tripled (2.3 to 6.1), and his FIPS went from 0.582 to 0.847. His balance was off and he was walking a lot of batters, which led to a humiliating demotion to the Rookie League in June to rebuild, and a late-season injury that ended his season prematurely.
The performance of his starting teammates dwarfed Manoa. Kevin Gausman (12-9, 3.16 ERA), who finished third in the American League Cy Young Award, was joined by Jose Berrios (11-12, 2.65 ERA), Chris Bassett (16-8, 3.60 ERA), and Yusei Kikuchi (11-6, 3.86 ERA) as a steady rotation of regulars. Even Ryu Hyun-jin, who missed the second half of the year due to Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament splicing), returned to post a 3-3 record with a 3.46 ERA in 11 games.
Citing executives from other teams, the outlet said that Toronto is positive about moving Manoa, who will soon be salary-adjustment-eligible and is expected to receive a large pay raise, which could be seen as an incentive to continue his decline. “Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said the remaining spots on the roster could be filled by Bowden Francis, Mitch White and Wes Parsons,” the outlet continued. Parsons is a familiar face to fans in Korea, as he spent two seasons with the NC Dinos starting in 2021, posting a 5-10 record with a 3.68 ERA.
However, the fact that Ryu’s name has barely been mentioned up until this point makes it difficult for him to sign with Toronto. His four-year, $80 million contract with Toronto ends after this season. In four seasons with Toronto, he has a 24-15 record with a 3.97 ERA. In the 60-game shortened season in 2020, he went 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA and finished third in the American League Cy Young Award. However, it wasn’t quite enough. In 2021, he won a career-high 14 games, but his ERA was a bit higher at 4.37. He then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, which took him out of the lineup. 캡틴토토 주소
After returning to the mound in August of this year and showing signs of life, Hyun-jin Ryu is back on the market, but while most of the attention has been focused on big names like Shohei Ohtani (29), Hyun-jin Ryu is only available for a major league contract, and there’s been no word from Toronto. With a solid starting rotation already in place, there’s no reason for Toronto to pursue him. His name isn’t even in the general manager’s plans. This is compounded by the fact that they’re willing to let go of even the younger and cheaper Manoa.
Still, Ryu will try to make it back to the big leagues next season. His agent, Scott Boras, recently said, “There is a lot of interest from big league teams. He will be pitching in MLB next year, not in Korea,” he said firmly. “I think it’s a no-brainer (to stay) if there’s a story,” the player himself said when he arrived in Korea last October. After bouncing around two organizations since making his big league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, where will Ryu’s third destination be?
