“It’s reasonable to expect to sign with a major league club”

The Toronto Blue Jays fell to 0-2 in Game 5 of the 2023 Major League Baseball American League Wild Card (WC) Series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Toronto was in a tight race for a wild-card berth this year and made a dramatic postseason run with one game left in the regular season. However, Ryu Hyun-jin was nowhere to be seen, and the Jays’ run to the postseason for the second straight year was short-lived.

Toronto sent their ace Kevin Gausman to the mound in Game 1, but the bats didn’t come alive, and they dropped Game 2 to wrap up the season. As Toronto’s fall baseball season ended after just two games, Ryu’s four-year, $80 million contract expired.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Ryu returned to the big league mound in August after a lengthy rehabilitation. In his first start, Ryu suffered a loss against the Baltimore Orioles, giving up four runs (four earned) in five innings, but it was good to see that he was “healthy” after undergoing major surgery.

It didn’t take long for Ryu to regain his form. In his second start of the season, Ryu took a hard hit to the knee against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he pitched four shutout innings and then went on to throw five innings of two-run ball in three consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland to complete a personal three-game winning streak.

September was filled with disappointment. Ryu also pitched five innings of two-run ball against the Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics before recording his first quality start (six innings or less) against the Texas Rangers, who were in contention for a wild-card berth. However, wins began to become elusive as the bullpen failed to protect Ryu’s wins or the offense failed to deliver.

The bad luck continued, and this time, the slump came. Ryu was pulled after just 4⅔ innings against the Boston Red Sox in his fourth start of September after giving up six hits and two walks, then struggled against the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up five runs (five earned) on three home runs in 4⅓ innings, and then again against the Rays in the season finale, giving up two runs (two earned) in three innings.

Ryu’s postseason roster spot was up for grabs after he was sent home early in his last three games, and his time with Toronto came to an end as the Jays wrapped up fall baseball with just two games. After this year’s major league schedule concludes, Ryu will be eligible for free agency for the second time in his career. He could re-sign with Toronto, but it’s not out of the question that he’ll look for a new destination.온라인카지노

Due to his age, there has been some talk of Ryu’s possible return to the KBO. However, Ryu is expected to continue his career in the major leagues. On May 5, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Canada’s Sportsnet reported on social media that “Ryu said he wants to sign with a major league team”. He doesn’t seem to be thinking about a comeback just yet.

In September, MLB.com wrote, “It usually takes pitchers a long time to get back on track after returning from Tommy John surgery, but not Ryu.” “Now 36, Ryu probably won’t get the same four-year, $80 million contract he signed in free agency. But if he stays consistent, he could land a lucrative multi-year deal that seemed unlikely a month ago.”

The consensus is that a short-term deal is still possible. On June 6, Major League Baseball Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which focuses on major league transactions, wrote, “After returning from surgery, Hyun-jin Ryu has posted a 3.46 ERA in 11 starts this year, including a 3.97 ERA in 315 innings for Toronto, so it’s reasonable to expect him to sign with a major league club.”

“While Ryu’s injury history is lengthy, he has been effective when healthy, posting a 3.27 career ERA since debuting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013,” MLBTR continued, “so given his recent surgery, it’s reasonable to expect a one-year deal based on his performance since returning in August.” We’ll see which team Ryu signs with at this year’s StubHub League.