Hyun-Jin Ryu agrees to four-year, $80M contract with Toronto Blue Jays

Tom Gatto

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Hyun-Jin Ryu agrees to four-year, $80M contract with Toronto Blue Jays image

The Blue Jays have made a big move to add a top-of-the-rotation starter. They officially agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with free-agent left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday. ESPN's Jeff Passan and other media members first reported the deal Sunday.

Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports the deal is the largest ever given to a free-agent pitcher by the Blue Jays and the largest pact, regardless of position, under team executives Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins.

MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported the contract is believed to include limited no-trade protection. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Ryu does not have an opt-out clause in the deal.

Ryu, 32, was a National League Cy Young award favorite for most of the 2019 season with the Dodgers, until he stumbled in late August in early September. Still, he finished with an MLB-best 2.32 ERA and a 1.007 WHIP. He also led the majors with just 1.2 walks allowed per nine innings. He finished second to the Mets' Jacob deGrom in the Cy Young voting. 

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There are health concerns with Ryu; he has been on the injured/disabled list at least once in each of the past six seasons. He was on it on two occasions in 2019 (groin, neck). He underwent left shoulder surgery in May 2015.

Toronto has made multiple moves this offseason to improve its rotation. It previously acquired right-hander Chase Anderson in a trade with the Brewers, signed free-agent right-hander Tanner Roark and agreed to a contract with Japan League free-agent left-hander Shun Yamaguchi. Now, it has a rotation anchor in Ryu.

There were rumors last weekend that the Jays were discussing a trade with the Red Sox to reacquire left-hander David Price, who went 9-1 in 11 starts for Toronto in 2015. In the end, the club went with a slightly younger southpaw who has been more effective of late.

Ryu's signing is the latest domino to fall in the left-handed starting pitching market. Most recently, the White Sox agreed to a three-year, $55.5 million contract with free agent Dallas Keuchel on Dec. 21 and a one-year, $5 million contract with Gio Gonzalez on Dec. 20; Wade Miley signed a two-year, $15 million pact with the Reds on Dec. 18; and Madison Bumgarner signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Dec. 17.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.