While the expected January signing didn’t pan out, the market for free agent Ryu Hyun-jin, 37, isn’t looking too bad. There are still plenty of teams looking for starting pitchers, but there aren’t many left on the market.
Joel Reuter, a columnist for Bleacher Report, released a ranking of the remaining players on the Major League Baseball free agent market as of Wednesday (April 3). In terms of starting pitchers, only Jordan Montgomery, Mike Clevinger, Clayton Kershaw, and Michael Lorenzen were ranked above Hyun-jin Ryu, including Blake Snell, who was ranked No. 1 overall.
Here’s the kicker. Snell, Montgomery, and Ryu, who are expected to cost upwards of $100-200 million in total, are in a different market. They fit the bill for teams looking to spend big and lock up a starter for the long haul. Kershaw is off the radar because he’s coming off shoulder surgery and won’t be available for a while. In the end, we have to assume that Ryu, Clevinger, and Lorenzen are tied for similar uses and price points, as reported by local media. Of the three, only Ryu is a lefty.
In this situation, John Heyman, a columnist for the New York Post and a leading source in Major League Baseball, appeared on Bleacher Report’s live streaming program on the 2nd to discuss the Ryu market. As a veteran columnist, Heyman is a journalist with a wide network of sources, and is considered to be particularly close to Ryu’s agent, Scott Boras, who runs the largest agency in Major League Baseball. So it’s interesting to see what he’s predicting.
Heyman didn’t specify which team Ryu was negotiating with in the stream. However, he did say, “I think the market for Ryu is going to be big.” In other words, there will be teams that want him and there will be a lot of competition. He went on to list the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, and Boston Red Sox as possible destinations.
They all have something in common. They can’t afford to spend a lot of money on starting pitching. Baltimore and Minnesota are relatively small markets to begin with. San Diego and Boston are prime examples of teams that are tightening their belts by cutting payroll. The Angels are also hesitant to invest, as they are in the midst of a franchise sale. San Francisco is willing to invest, but has already spent a lot of money. Neither of these teams can afford Snell or Montgomery.
But they still need to bolster their starting rotation. With Baltimore likely out of the market for Hyun-Jin Ryu, having traded with Milwaukee for Corbin 바카라사이트 추천 Burns, a clear ace card, the remaining teams all have a pressing need to fill the starting rotation in some way. They also share a lack of left-handers. Heyman’s projections are largely in line with market common sense.
Joel Reuters also reported on August 3 that, ‘Hyun-jin Ryu made his 2023 debut on Aug. 1 after missing the first four months of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He pitched well enough to prove he still has something left in the tank,” and “He could be a great stopgap in the rotation while the Giants wait for newly acquired Robbie Ray to get back on track,” making him a likely destination for San Francisco.
San Francisco acquired Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner, in a trade. However, Ray is still rehabbing from elbow surgery last year and is not expected to return until mid-year. Conversely, the trade also sent Anthony Descalafani to Seattle, and more recently Ross Stripling in another trade, leaving a hole in the starting rotation.
Even knowing that Ray wouldn’t be available until midseason, the Giants sent away two players who were part of last year’s starting rotation, a direct indication that they will be looking to bolster their starting rotation in some way during the remainder of the offseason. When the offers start rolling in, whether from San Francisco or other teams, Scott Boras’ ability to do his market research will shine through. Boras has already signed quite a few starting pitching clients this offseason, and it’s likely that he knows exactly what teams are looking for in a player like Hyun-Jin Ryu.