“I wouldn’t be opposed to the Pirates pursuing Hyun-jin Ryu, but…”
As Hyun-jin Ryu (36, Toronto Blue Jays) heads into free agency in one month, his status and evaluation is much different than when he first became a free agent four years ago. Four years have passed, and he’s now in his mid-to-late 30s. In between, he had Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation. His 2021 season, when he played full-time, was lackluster.
It’s no wonder his ratings are down. Ryu made his return in August and had a successful debut. In 10 games, he went 3-3 with a 3.31 ERA, a .242 batting average, and a 1.22 WHIP. That’s pretty good. The foreign media is saying that Ryu is a 4-5 starter, so he’s good at that level.
I don’t think it’s realistic to expect Ryu to sign a bigger contract this winter than the $80 million deal he signed four years ago. He’ll likely sign a one- or two-year deal and focus on increasing his average annualized value. His stuff and command are still competitive.
Rum Bunter, who covers the Pittsburgh Pirates for FanSided, wrote an article on April 26 that reminded me of Ryu’s current address. Basically, he argued that the team should turn to the top-tier free agent starting pitching market and the international free agent pitching market.
“I’m not opposed to the Pirates pursuing the likes of Genta Maeda (35, Minnesota Twins), Michael Lorenzen (31, Philadelphia Phillies), and Ryu Hyun-jin, but they need to secure some higher quality starting pitching options,” Rum Bunter wrote. Neither Maeda nor Lorenzen are core pitchers for their organizations. Ryu and Maeda are veterans.
Pittsburgh is 11th in the National League with a 4.89 team ERA this season. Mitch Keller is 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA in 32 games, Johan Oviedo is 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA in 31 games, Luis Ortiz is 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA in 17 games (14 starts), and Roanse Cotreras is 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA in 19 games (11 starts). At 74-83 and eighth in the National League wild-card race, they missed the postseason.메이저사이트
Naturally, the team is thirsty for an ace. With payroll to spare, they need to bring in an ace who can be a pillar. There’s no guarantee that Ryu Hyun-jin and Bae Ji-hwan will be available in this situation.
Rum Bunter’s recommendations for Pittsburgh include Jordan Montgomery (Texas Rangers), international free agent Shota Imanaga (Yokohama DeNA Basestars), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes). On the other hand, the trade market is unlikely to bring in a quality starting pitcher. Pittsburgh has a lot of young and promising players at this point, which doesn’t favor them in the trade market.