Mentions of several teams, including New York Mets and Boston. The contract may be delayed as it is not an ace level in the evaluation of “possible $10 million per year” Hanwha, salary cap space… ‘Live ammunition’ enough Recently, there was a meal with Director Son Hyuk and interest in his future plans.
Will we be able to see ‘Ryu Hyun-jin in Eagles uniform’ in the new year? There is a lot of interest in whether Ryu Hyun-jin, who played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for 11 years from 2013 to this year, will return to Hanwha. Since Ryu Hyun-jin entered the MLB through posting (private competitive bidding) rather than free agency in late 2012, he should return to Hanwha when he returns to Korea. The photo shows Ryu Hyun-jin throwing a ball wearing a Hanwha uniform in 2012.
The biggest interest in Korean baseball in the new year is the future of ‘Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin (36). He can remain in the Major League Baseball (MLB), or he can return to his original team, Hanwha of the Korean Professional Baseball League. The choice is up to Ryu Hyun-jin.
Ryu Hyun-jin had dinner with Hanwha General Manager Son Hyuk on the 28th. The Hanwha team avoided an expanded interpretation, saying, “It was a ritual meal held around this time every year.” However, given the timing, we cannot rule out the possibility that there was talk related to Ryu Hyun-jin’s return to Hanwha.
Ryu Hyun-jin, whose four-year $80 million (approximately 103.2 billion won) contract with Toronto ended at the end of this year, is currently negotiating with several teams with the intention of remaining in the MLB. Locally, the New York Mets, Boston, and Kansas City are being mentioned as Ryu Hyun-jin’s new team. His agent, Scott Boras, also declared earlier this month, “Ryu Hyun-jin will play in MLB next year, not in Korea.”
Competitiveness is still sufficient. Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned in August after undergoing elbow surgery, started 11 games and recorded 3 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 3.46. Although his velocity was slightly lower than before the surgery, he showed excellent crisis management skills by throwing new pitches such as a slow curve. He is also evaluated locally to receive a ransom of around $10 million (approximately 12.9 billion won) per year.
However, the prevailing view is that it will take more time to reach an actual contract. The biggest reason is that Ryu Hyun-jin’s contract, which is not a first or second selection, is not urgent for MLB teams. In most cases, an ace pitcher goes first and then other players fill the empty spot. There are still ace pitchers such as Blake Snell, Marcus Stroman, Clayton Kershaw, and James Paxton remaining in the MLB free agent market.
Hanwha is desperately waiting for Ryu Hyun-jin to return. Ryu Hyun-jin, who entered MLB through the posting (private competitive bidding) system at the end of 2012, can only return to Hanwha upon his return to Korea. Ryu Hyun-jin also often said, “I want to spend the last part of my career at Hanwha. “I want to come back when I have strength,” he said.
Hanwha respects Ryu Hyun-jin’s decision as much as possible and is waiting for him to make up his mind. If Ryu Hyun-jin returns, he is likely to receive the highest salary in Korean professional baseball history. Currently, the maximum amount for returning to an overseas team is 15.1 billion won (4 years) received by Kim Gwang-hyun, who returned to SSG from MLB in 2022. The highest total amount, including domestic players, is the maximum of 15.2 billion won (6 years), which Doosan catcher Yang Eui-ji signed at this time last year.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) introduced a salary cap system starting this year, but Hanwha has the second-lowest total salary in the league (KRW 8.531 billion), so there is considerable room to spend money. However, since there has been no significant movement in the free agent market since Ahn Chi-hong’s recruitment, some are analyzing whether they are saving ammunition with Ryu Hyun-jin’s return in mind.
Hanwha, which is aiming to advance to the top rankings next season, recruited veteran outfielder Kim Kang-min through the second draft instead of free agency. If Ryu Hyun-jin joins here, we can reach the peak of strengthening the team’s power. Ryu Hyun-jin’s return is expected to be of great help to the success of Korean professional baseball in the new year. 19가이드03