Ryu Hyun-jin (36) said he would definitely end his career by wearing the Hanwha Eagles uniform. With the end of “Korean Monster” approaching, attention is focusing on whether he will be able to return to Korea next year. Hanwha is ready to welcome Ryu Hyun-jin at any time. Hanwha ranked ninth with 8.53 billion won in the total amount of the top 40 annual salaries for each club in 2023, announced by KBO on the 20th. The upper limit of this year’s salary cap was confirmed to be KRW 11.42638 billion, but Hanwha saved KRW 2.895.38 billion. Kiwoom Heroes, ranked 10th, saved KRW 4.97438 billion with KRW 6.452 billion, but Hanwha also operated a season very cheaply compared to other clubs.
The baseball community believes that Ryu Hyun-jin is the biggest reason why Hanwha has plenty of room for salary cap. Of course, there will be a change in the total amount of the top 40 players in next year’s salary. Hanwha caught Ahn Chi-hong, an external FA, for 4+2 years for 7.2 billion won this winter. Internal FA Jang Min-jae set a 2+1 year total of 800 million won, and recruited pitchers Lee Sang-kyu (400 million won in the first round), Bae Min-seo (200 million won in the third round) and veteran outfielder Kim Kang-min (100 million won) in the second round of draft. In the salary negotiations, there is a possibility that Rookie of the Year Moon Dong-joo and Home Run King Noh Si-hwan will receive a significant increase in salary. Even if the portion of players released, transferred and retired is excluded, the total amount of next year’s salary is expected to be larger than this year’s, but the company has prepared a live ammunition for Ryu.
Currently, Ryu is valued at around 11 million U.S. dollars a year in the FA market in the U.S. media. In terms of the total amount, chances are high that the Hanwha Eagles will lose ground in the competition with the Major League teams. The issue at hand is the duration of the contract. In order for Ryu to play in the Major League stably, he has to sign a multi-year contract of at least two years, which is highly unlikely. Given his late 30s age and history of Tommy John surgery last year, it is widely expected that he will not be able to sign a multi-year contract. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
There is still demand to remember Ryu in his prime time as the ace left-hander in the Major League. The New York Yankees and the New York Mets, who lost in a bid to recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25), the biggest pitcher of the FA, have emerged as Ryu’s destination. Yamamoto agreed to a 12-year, 325 million-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting a new record for the highest amount of FA pitcher in the history of the Major League. Yankees and Mets are a team that money does not pay off anywhere. Watchers say that the loss of the two teams to the Dodgers would lead to a “panic bye.” “Not all contracts need to be blockbusters. Ryu Hyun-jin, James Paxton, and Michael Lorenzen are among the players that the Yankees would prefer. Ryu has only 17 starts in the past two seasons due to injury, but he is in good form,” he said.
The East Village Times, a local media outlet in San Diego, on Tuesday recommended the San Diego Padres, where infielder Kim Ha-sung (28) plays, as a destination that would suit Ryu. The media outlet said, “San Diego desperately needs a pitcher. Even though the Juan Soto trade has brought in a lot of pitchers, the team only weighs heavily in the front of the starting rotation and lacks depth. If Ryu is added, he will be able to add stability and experience to the middle of the starting rotation (fourth to five starting pitchers).”
In addition, Ryu pitched very well when he returned from injury. In 11 games, he recorded an ERA of 3.46 and 123 ERA+ (adjusted ERA, 100 is the reference point). “If Ryu can produce this performance full-time in 2024, he will become one of the most solid middle starters.” If the Hanwha Eagles wants to persuade Ryu in the competition with a major league club, it has no choice but to appeal to him to sense of stability in Korean life. Major League players are very active in transferring players according to the needs of their teams, regardless of whether they are starting players, veterans or promising players. There are also frequent DFAs to secure the roster of Major League players. Considering Ryu’s current position, it is hard to say that a team guarantees full time.
Hanwha also desperately needs Ryu due to circumstances on its starting mound. It is not an exaggeration to say that there is no starting pitcher who can calculate full time except for Felix Peña, who re-signed at $1.05 million. Except for Moon, there was no starting pitcher in Korea who pitched more than 100 innings. Jang Min-jae pitched in 13 games as a starting pitcher and was responsible for 57 innings, the second highest figure after Moon. The second starting pitcher for foreigners is still vacant, and although Moon Dong-ju had this year’s Rookie of the Year season, the Korean starting pitcher will be in his second full-time next year. There are variables in his experience. Kim Min-woo, who was the first starting pitcher in Korea, left the mound this year due to his shoulder injury, and it is difficult to calculate the starting pitcher as a constant until next year. Hanwha plans to classify Moon Dong-joo, Kim Min-woo, Jang Min-jae, Hwang Joon-seo, Kim Ki-joong and Nam Ji-min as starters to prepare for this season, but if Ryu joins the team, it could be a big trouble.