With Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg off the board, the best free-agent starting pitcher still available on the market arguably is Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The left-hander is coming off a career season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing second in the National League Cy Young voting. In 29 starts, Ryu went 14-5 with a Major-League-leading 2.32 ERA to go along with a 3.10 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 163 strikeouts and 24 walks in 182.2 innings.
There are a number of teams with reported interest in Ryu, including the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins. After striking out on Cole, the Dodgers are also believed to be in the mix as they look to add one more starter to their rotation.
Ryu has previously suggested he would like to remain in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, and would figure to help facilitate a reunion. However, in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, Ryu revealed he hasn’t received much indication from agent Scott Boras about the Dodgers’ purported interest:
As for reports that the Dodgers are interested in bringing him back, Ryu said, “If the Dodgers wanted to re-sign me, they would have told my agent. I haven’t heard from him yet, and honestly, I don’t have much to tell you right now.”
The Dodgers have been in contact with Boras on other top free agents like Cole, Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, which would make it difficult to believe that Ryu’s name did not come up at some point.
The 32-year-old does have an extensive injury history though and could command a four- or five-year deal in free agency, which could be more than the Dodgers are comfortable offering.
In addition to Ryu, the Dodgers have surprisingly also been linked to long-time rival Madison Bumgarner in free agency. He and Ryu are expected to command similar contracts, but Bumgarner is younger (30) and considered more durable.
While the Dodgers have a number of options they can pursue, the free-agent market is moving a lot quicker this year compared to the last few, so they could miss out on quality options like Ryu and Bumgarner if they continue to wait.
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