Ryu Hyun-jin (36‧ Toronto), who was the best pitcher in the KBO League, entered the major leagues through the posting system (private competitive bidding) ahead of the 2013 season. The amount of posting that no one thought was taken. The Dodgers, who spent about 25.73 million dollars amid fiercer competition than expected, embraced Ryu Hyun-jin.
At that time, Ryu Hyun-jin and the Dodgers’ individual contract terms were 36 million dollars for 6 years. It’s a post, but in a way, it could be seen that the first individual free agent (FA) contract was concluded for 6 years and 36 million dollars. If he went to the major leagues as a free agent rather than a posting, he could have received more money than that, but Ryu Hyun-jin, who went to the major leagues when he was two years young, later returned with a big contract.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who remained after receiving the Dodgers’ qualifying offer ($17.9 million at the time) in 2019, completed his second free agency with Toronto ahead of the 2020 season, spending the highest amount in the history of a Korean pitcher, totaling $80 million over four years. Ryu Hyun-jin has earned $133.9 million (approximately 175.5 billion won) since his advance to the major leagues, and his contract with Toronto ends this year.
It’s a time when players can’t help but think about FA again. It is also the last chance for Ryu Hyun-jin, who is now in his mid-30s. Unless you are a special player, it is rare for major league players to give multi-year contracts of more than three years to players in their late 30s.
The situation is not favorable. Ryu Hyun-jin underwent elbow ligament reconstruction surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June of last year and is currently undergoing rehabilitation. He aims to return in July this year. It means that he has only three to four months to show off his own strength and raise his ranking in the free agent market. He’s a solid career player, but it can be a burden when he has to show his all in eight or 10 starts. 스포츠토토
However, Ryu Hyun-jin drew the line, saying that he is not thinking about free agents at all. He thinks that the first priority is to return to health and throw the ball. During spring training in February, Ryu Hyun-jin immediately drew the line, saying, “I’m not thinking about it at all right now.”
After all, free agency is also a prerequisite for a healthy comeback. Ryu Hyun-jin knows this all too well. Ryu Hyun-jin said, “Right now, I am thinking only of July,” and he said, “After that, I have to leave it to luck.” He is doing his best to rehabilitate, and if he throws hard, the free agency will follow.
His rehabilitation is still going well as planned. Ryu Hyun-jin originally planned to return to the major leagues in mid-July after taking the mound in a minor league rehabilitation game in June. So far, things are going well as planned, with no backtracking. There are even opinions that he is anxious because his pace is so good. According to the current trend, there will be no problem in meeting the existing schedule, officials explained. Ryu Hyun-jin’s comeback is slowly approaching.