Los Angeles Dodgers win bid to negotiate with Korean Pitch Hyun-Jin Ryu - MLB News
The Los Angeles Dodgers in recent years have not been very active when it comes to recruiting players from the international market. The trend seems to be changing now as the Los Angeles ball club has acquired the negotiating rights for the Korean pitcher
Hyun-Jin Ryu for $25.7 million from his Hanwha Eagles. The Dodgers have a 30-day window to negotiate a deal with Ryu.
The general manager of the Dodgers Ned Colletti seems excited by the prospect of adding the pitcher to the team.
"We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity," said Dodgers’ general manager. "We have watched Ryu pitch for a long time, and he is another option to consider as we look to improve our team in 2013 and beyond. We'd like to thank the Hanwha Eagles and
we look forward to meeting Ryu and beginning the negotiation process very soon."
He would not be the first overseas player to be signed by the Dodgers if the deal goes through. Earlier, the ballclub signed Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig for $42 million lucrative deal. The bid submitted for Ryu is the third highest for an Asian player from
a Major League team. The highest paid Asian player thus far has been for Yu Darvish with a deal worth $51.7 million, followed by Daisuke Matsuzaka who was acquired for $51.1 million.
A seven year veteran in the Korean League, Hyun-Jin has been the star performer for his club. He is called the “unfortunate Ace” by some due to his team’s consistently poor overall show. He has been carrying a heavy workload since making his debut in 2006,
the year in which he won the Rookie of the Year as well as the MVP and the Golden Glove Award.
His club in Korea, the Hanwha Eagles seem to be content with him moving to MLB, citing that a reasonable offer for acquiring him was made. "We believe this figure is acceptable for the rights to the top ace in South Korea," the Eagles said on their website.
The 25-year-old is considered as the best pitcher in Korea. He has pitched in the Olympic success of Korea in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was also a part of the team that finished second in the World Baseball Classic in 2009. He also led his team to victory
in 2010 Asia Cup.
Ryu’s career numbers are good. He has a 98-52 winning record for his club and maintains a career 2.80 ERA with 1238 strike-outs. The 6ft 1in pitcher’s fast ball is in the lower 90’s and has a slider and changeup as well.
The pitcher himself is looking forward to a stint in the Major League. "I've made a step forward for a dream come true," Ryu said. The first ever Korean born player to play in the Major League was Chan Ho Park in 1994, was also signed by Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will most certainly benefit from Ryu’s experience and skill. They already have a decent starting rotation and having someone as good as the Korean will be a welcome addition to the team.
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