Both runner-ups for the 2019 Cy Young awards are free agents, and while there has been a ton of rumors surrounding Gerrit Cole, the Hyun-Jin Ryu market has remained pretty quiet.
In a bit of a twist to normal reporting, news about Ryu’s market came from himself as he talked about his free agency status and season with reporters at Incheon International Airport.
#Ryu’s family (3) is in Korea:
He wants a 3-year or 4-year contract, hasn't had any serious talks with the #Dodgers yet, and won’t explore a new pitch this off-season. pic.twitter.com/juaihNWjNb— Joseph Kim (@blackwings2011) November 14, 2019
Ryu said he is looking to sign a three-to-four-year deal this off-season. At 33 years old with a pretty significant injury history, that would likely take Ryu right into his retirement. I recently predicted Ryu would sign a four-year deal with an average annual value of $20 million.
The story from The Korea Times also mentioned that South Korean outfielder Shin-soo Choo of the Texas Rangers asked their front office to pursue Ryu this off-season, which Choo discussed on a Korean radio station in Dallas.
When told about the comments, Ryu said, “I am grateful. I think it’d be special to be playing with a fellow Korean on the same team.”
There have already been reports of the Rangers’ interest in the left-hander.
Ryu also said his agent Scott Boras is handling everything and he doesn’t believe there has been much contact with the Dodgers about a new contract.
“I am going to focus on training for the new season,” Ryu said. “Honestly, I am not really thinking about free agency. But if there’s anything I need to do (regarding free agency), I’ll probably fly back to the U.S. at some point.”
It appears the Dodgers have their eyes on a bigger prize.
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