Fewer teams are available for Ryu Hyun-jin (37). On the contrary, it means that clubs are also having fewer options, and it is more likely that they will recruit Ryu. This time, the Texas Rangers have emerged as a team that can recruit Ryu.
The U.S. sports media “SportsKida” cited “three pitchers that Texas can turn around and choose after missing Clayton Kershaw” on the 7th (Korea time) and included Ryu Hyun-jin’s name. Jordan Montgomery, the biggest pitcher in the free agent (FA) market and who played for Texas in the second half of last year, Dylan Sheath (Chicago White Sox), and Ryu Hyun-jin’s name were mentioned at the end.
Kershaw returned to the Dodgers once again after signing a short-term contract each year for the past two years. He has been with the Dodgers for 17 years. U.S. media including the Los Angeles Times reported that Kershaw and the Dodgers have agreed on a new contract. Chances are high that the deal will be one-plus-one contract with a player option in 2025.
Kershaw’s contract will be announced after Thursday when he can be listed as injured. Kershaw is currently undergoing rehabilitation after undergoing surgery to recover his left shoulder scapula, upper arm ligament and joint sac. He is out for the first half of the season and will likely return during the second half. “I hope I can return to the team sometime next summer,” Kershaw said when announcing the surgery on his social media in November last year.
Kershaw has extended his career by signing a one-year contract with the Dodgers for all of the 2022-2023 seasons. Kershaw’s future has always been staying with the Dodgers, retiring from active duty, and returning to his hometown team Texas. Texas also needed Kershaw’s experience and years of experience, and there was a time when it was getting closer to recruiting him. However, Kershaw’s choice has always been the Dodgers, and this year was no different. 헤라카지노
“The World Series champion Texas needs to find other players to strengthen its injury-prone starting rotation,” Sports Kida said. “Fortunately, there are many starting pitchers who can replace Kershaw in the FA and trade markets.”
Texas Rangers have two former Cy Young pitchers who are currently receiving huge amounts of money, who can return to the mound at the end of the first half of the season. Jacob deGrom, who Texas Rangers recruited with a five-year, 185 million-dollar contract ahead of last year’s season, left the lineup with only two wins, an earned run average of 2.67 and 45 strikeouts in six games and 30 ⅓ innings. He is expected to be able to return from June to July after Tommy John surgery. Max Scherzer, who was acquired through a trade before the trade deadline in July last year, also underwent a herniated back surgery in December last year. He also needs to consider his mid-to-late 30s.
Texas also had burden to recruit Kershaw, who had difficulty returning to the team in the first half of this season. However, considering the symbolism of Kershaw, Texas has been turned away from Kershaw once again. As an alternative, he mentioned the name of Ryu Hyun-jin, who could throw balls healthily from the start of this season despite his injury risk.
Referring to Ryu Hyun-jin’s name, “SportsKida” claimed, “Texas can aim for a short-term contract with Ryu Hyun-jin this year,” and mentioned the current situation, saying, “The 36-year-old left-hander who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 is known to be training normally in Korea.”
“Last year, Ryu returned to Toronto’s starting lineup and recorded three wins, three losses, a 3.46 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 52 innings,” he said, adding, “Ryu, who is still looking forward to landing on a new team in the 2024 season, could be an ideal choice for the World Series champion. Texas has only one left-hander in the expected rotation of starting pitchers in the regular season, so it can help balance the pitching staff,” he said, referring to the need to recruit Ryu.
Texas, which won the World Series last year, has some question marks on the starting lineup. Nathan Iboldi, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, John Gray, and Tyler Male are expected to be on the starting lineup. Since Montgomery has qualified as an FA and neither deGrom nor Scherzer is available, there is no clear ace level. It is a situation where we have to launch a supply offensive.
However, Texas, like the San Diego Padres, has difficulty in mobilizing funds as the contract for broadcasting rights is virtually canceled. Valley Sports also had the right to broadcast in Texas, just like San Diego, but Diamond Sports Group, its owner, went bankrupt. The team needs resources to strengthen the starting lineup without spending too much money. Given that pitchers who received similar reviews as Ryu signed contracts worth around 10 million dollars, Texas can also change its mind with a short-term contract of one to two years.
Ryu Hyun-jin is a veteran left-hander who recorded 78 wins and 48 losses with a 3.27 ERA in 186 ⅓ (1,055 innings). He entered the Major League by signing a six-year, 36-million-dollar contract with the Dodgers in December 2012, and recorded 54 wins and 33 losses with a 2.98 ERA in 126 ⅓ (740 ⅔ innings) over the past seven years with the Dodgers. Notably, in 2019, he played in 29 games (182 ⅔ innings) with 14 wins and 5 losses with a 2.32 ERA, ranking second in voting at the National League Cy Young Award.
While not comparable to Kershaw, Ryu Hyun-jin is also an experienced pitcher who marked the peak of his career. He once competed with deGrom and Scherzer as candidates for the Cy Young Award. If Ryu signs a contract with Texas and deGrom Scherzer returns as scheduled in the second half of the year, he will likely see a rare scene where candidates for the Cy Young Award unite in the starting lineup.
Ryu displayed his pitching performance in the second half of last year to address concerns over his injury. There seem to be plenty of situations in which Texas, the World Series champion, will show interest in Ryu. Attention should be paid to Ryu’s choice.