Jays sign SP Hyun-Jin Ryu: 4 years, $80M

[Wo1verine]

Read on Twitter

[phillipmike]

Read on Twitter

[Schad]

Might have preferred it be frontloaded a bit, but better flat than escalating.

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

[PowerPlant1]

Good signing and I hope it works out. Ryu's overall results speak for themselves. He's oldish but not a disastrous contract.

My final wish list would be an outfielder who is an upgrade over Grichuk, Hernandez and Fisher and their abysmal OBPs.

[Wo1verine]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[phillipmike]

Jeff Passan was on Tim and Sid talking about the Ryu Signing;

1. Ryu wanted 5 years
2. Many teams offered 4 years
3. Ryu made his mind up quicker than originally thought because he felt their was some truth to the rumors that the Jays were ready to move onto David Price
4. Is a #1 or #2 at worst if healthy, doesn’t like his injury history though
5. Likes the Jays rotation but as is this isn’t a playoff contender
6. Jays are still in on David Price, but will only do it if the Red Sox retained 40-50M. Jays have no interest in taking on the full contract.

But the best part was that Passan thought the reason why the Jays were successful in getting Ryu was because they were so aggressive from the beginning with Ryu, Ryu felt wanted and part of the Jays plan all along. Felt that he was the Jays top target and that’s why he took the Jays offer over other teams who offered similar deals at 4 years. Jays wanting him from day 1 meant more to him than a team that entered the race late for his services because they “saw value” in Ryu. The front office laid their ground work early, and Passan saw this at the winter meetings. Said that if anyone asked who he thought was going to get Ryu at the winter meetings, he said the Jays.

Roark said the exact same thing; about wanting to come to a team that showed interest early on. He felt like he was their plan A not just some guy.

So this is a big F U to the “fans” who mocked the front office for being “aggressive” and not land players who they wanted. The Jays got their two most impactful additions in Ryu, and Roark by being aggressive.

[Wo1verine]

[Black Watch]

Another 3.2 MIL in the Boris bank account!

Read on Twitter

When you add on the Keuchel, Moustakas, and Ryu deals, Boras has already made over $50 million (he gets 5%, per NY Post), and OF Nick Castellanos has yet to be signed. With the $1 billion this offseason, Boras has lifted his career agreements past $9 billion.

[Tanner]

Jeff Passan was on Tim and Sid talking about the Ryu Signing;

1. Ryu wanted 5 years
2. Many teams offered 4 years
3. Ryu made his mind up quicker than originally thought because he felt their was some truth to the rumors that the Jays were ready to move onto David Price
4. Is a #1 or #2 at worst if healthy, doesn’t like his injury history though
5. Likes the Jays rotation but as is this isn’t a playoff contender
6. Jays are still in on David Price, but will only do it if the Red Sox retained 40-50M. Jays have no interest in taking on the full contract.

But the best part was that Passan thought the reason why the Jays were successful in getting Ryu was because they were so aggressive from the beginning with Ryu, Ryu felt wanted and part of the Jays plan all along. Felt that he was the Jays top target and that’s why he took the Jays offer over other teams who offered similar deals at 4 years. Jays wanting him from day 1 meant more to him than a team that entered the race late for his services because they “saw value” in Ryu. The front office laid their ground work early, and Passan saw this at the winter meetings. Said that if anyone asked who he thought was going to get Ryu at the winter meetings, he said the Jays.

Roark said the exact same thing; about wanting to come to a team that showed interest early on. He felt like he was their plan A not just some guy.

So this is a big F U to the “fans” who mocked the front office for being “aggressive” and not land players who they wanted. The Jays got their two most impactful additions in Ryu, and Roark by being aggressive.

They got: Ryu, Roark, Anderson, Shaw, Yamaguchi.

They 1) did not lose a draft pick, 2) only traded one prospect from the system who wasn't very good anyway (Spanberger), and 3) still have a minuscule payroll compared to the rest of the league/their market size. On top of that, only one player (the best player they acquired) runs beyond 2 years of control so it's not like they are stuck with this team for years and years to come. They can pivot in any direction depending on how the team performs. It's a pretty good spot to be in, especially with an exciting young position player core that only figures to get better.

I'm still not 100% sold on Ross Atkins, but Shapiro better have an extension wrapped up before the season starts.

[Tanner]

I always figured Castellanos would be a pipe dream. But if he could be had for like 4/60...that feels like a super damn good deal that I'd want to be all over.

Apparently the Jays are ok with getting Price if the Sox eat up half his salary. Which means they'd be ok with 3/48. If Castellanos' market is not hot right now, then just offer him 3/48 and start him at DH/occasional OF/1B against LHP. Might be a better use of the money, and he's more of a fit with the young core. Although if he wants/can get a 4th year, then I'd probably pass.

[Black Watch]

This is Shatkins saying 'we want to start winning baseball games.'

With Shatkins, there's so much talk about their process that I thought the Blue Jays were going to kick the can down the road again this season and wait for the Yankees and Red Sox to age out/become financially bloated in the next couple years, and by then also hoping the Rays would have to to reset given that they can't afford their players past 3 years.

Instead they sign Ryu.

This suggests to me that they're seeing the obvious: the Yankees will never be 'a little worse' (because of their money), that the Rays perpetually have figured out how to churn through things, that the Red Sox with Chaim Bloom in charge will get their money in order and be a powerhouse again. So Shatkins edited the plan a little, focusing instead on being 'the best we can be,' without waiting for the division to tell them when. They've got a great group of young hitters and now with all the lottery tickets in AAAA SP depth, a soft ace (only soft because of his injury history) in Ryu, and some horses to eat innings, this season will be much more competitive.

One of the potential consequences of this signing is that by the Blue Jays becoming more competitive, the Red Sox might be feeling even more pressure not to try to catch up to the Yankees/Rays with the Jays on the come-up, instead they might try to aggressively move Price, Eovaldi, and maybe even Mookie Betts.

[TR50]

I always figured Castellanos would be a pipe dream. But if he could be had for like 4/60...that feels like a super damn good deal that I'd want to be all over.

Apparently the Jays are ok with getting Price if the Sox eat up half his salary. Which means they'd be ok with 3/48. If Castellanos' market is not hot right now, then just offer him 3/48 and start him at DH/occasional OF/1B against LHP. Might be a better use of the money, and he's more of a fit with the young core. Although if he wants/can get a 4th year, then I'd probably pass.

I would totally do this!

I'm not sure how much I buy the Price stuff though now that Ryu is a Blue Jay.

[phillipmike]

They got: Ryu, Roark, Anderson, Shaw, Yamaguchi.

They 1) did not lose a draft pick, 2) only traded one prospect from the system who wasn't very good anyway (Spanberger), and 3) still have a minuscule payroll compared to the rest of the league/their market size. On top of that, only one player (the best player they acquired) runs beyond 2 years of control so it's not like they are stuck with this team for years and years to come. They can pivot in any direction depending on how the team performs. It's a pretty good spot to be in, especially with an exciting young position player core that only figures to get better.

I'm still not 100% sold on Ross Atkins, but Shapiro better have an extension wrapped up before the season starts.

Pretty much how I see it. Added an impact player which I didn’t expect plus some much needed depth while not giving you our 2nd round pick which is the highest pick any team could have lost this offseason.

I’m not crazy about Ryu’s 4th year, I like Roark but he is slightly overpaid and I like other investments better like Porcello or Lindholm. But so be it, we offered those guys more money and they turned us down.

Pretty much a perfect offseason from a results standpoint. They did things they should have this offseason and next (Ryu) by raising the floor and profile of the team.

Plus we might have 15-25M left to play with. Maybe Price is still a possibility. Maybe Edwin is still an option. Or a Dickerson. I assume we are adding at least 2 pen arms.

Even without Ryu they were heading in the right direction.

[Schad]

They got: Ryu, Roark, Anderson, Shaw, Yamaguchi.

They 1) did not lose a draft pick, 2) only traded one prospect from the system who wasn't very good anyway (Spanberger), and 3) still have a minuscule payroll compared to the rest of the league/their market size. On top of that, only one player (the best player they acquired) runs beyond 2 years of control so it's not like they are stuck with this team for years and years to come. They can pivot in any direction depending on how the team performs. It's a pretty good spot to be in, especially with an exciting young position player core that only figures to get better.

I'm still not 100% sold on Ross Atkins, but Shapiro better have an extension wrapped up before the season starts.

And if we're not quite ready, every player acquired beyond Ryu has a fairly minimal commitment but with at least two years of team control. Building up isn't necessarily linear; we can try to win more in 2020, while also having the option of moving players on to free up money/playing time. We're still in the asset accumulation phase, just with a broader scope of assets.

[Ong_dynasty]

Surely we an afford price at 3/48 and castellanos as well.. that would make the team competitive and not a lot of long term contracts

[wamco]

Will Atkins shed a few prospects to make deals or continue to hoard.

Supposedly willing to go about 3/48 for price. What prospects make that happen?

[And1Skip]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[And1Skip]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

When Ryu showed up to spring training in 2013 as a total unknown on a six year, $36 million deal, expectations weren’t exactly high. The first time I saw him pitch on a field in Arizona, his fastball sat at about 85 mph. I remember sitting with my friend and scouting guru Keith Law, and we both wondered what the hell the Dodgers had done. Ryu appeared out of shape and in no hurry to make a good athletic impression.

The whole thing turned out to be a huge misunderstanding. When a reporter quizzed Ryu about his fitness, he was stung, saying that in Korea they used training camp to get in shape (which makes a lot of sense!). Back in the days before baseball players were expected to work out 12 months a year and eliminate dairy, sugar, carbs and every other reason for living that nutritionists swear will help them hit dingers and look jacked while doing it, major-league players used training camp in America to get in shape, too. Ryu seemed to have no idea he could show up husky and happy and was embarrassed by the confusion.

Never a power pitcher, Ryu toyed with hitters like a modern Greg Maddux, out-thinking and out-foxing them and lulling them to sleep and then beating their bats to the spot. He developed a changeup so nasty it rated as the most effective in all of baseball last season.

His teddy bear shape and chill demeanor belie the fact that he is an athletic freak. He’s an enormous dude, yes, but that makes his grace and agility in dancing off the mound and fielding ground balls that much more impressive. His reflexes at catching line drives hit right at him make me wonder if he’d be the Flip Cup champion of the world.

Ryu’s dry sense of humor is unmatched. When he was asked why he came in last place during a team run in his first spring training, he said, according to Eric Stephen of True Blue LA: “The other players don’t listen to what the trainers are saying. The trainers told us to run it in 35 seconds; why are they running it in 26 seconds? I ran it in 35 seconds.”

And let’s not forget the time he went home to Korea after the Dodgers’ playoff exit in 2014 and was spotted at a sporting event wearing a hat that simply said “JUAN URIBE” in gold cursive.

In 740 innings pitched for the Dodgers over the last seven seasons, Ryu posted a 2.98 ERA. Do you know how crazy great that is? He is tied for fourth all time in ERA+ in Dodgers history, behind only Clayton Kershaw, Kevin Brown and Sandy Koufax. (His 129+ is even higher than Don Drysdale’s 121+).

According to the Baseball Reference Player Index, since 1978 only four pitchers with at least 100 starts have posted career ERAs lower than 3.00. They are:

Clayton Kershaw 2.44
Jacob deGrom 2.62
Pedro Martinez 2.93
Hyun-Jin Ryu 2.98

[Kurtz]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

When Ryu showed up to spring training in 2013 as a total unknown on a six year, $36 million deal, expectations weren’t exactly high. The first time I saw him pitch on a field in Arizona, his fastball sat at about 85 mph. I remember sitting with my friend and scouting guru Keith Law, and we both wondered what the hell the Dodgers had done. Ryu appeared out of shape and in no hurry to make a good athletic impression.

The whole thing turned out to be a huge misunderstanding. When a reporter quizzed Ryu about his fitness, he was stung, saying that in Korea they used training camp to get in shape (which makes a lot of sense!). Back in the days before baseball players were expected to work out 12 months a year and eliminate dairy, sugar, carbs and every other reason for living that nutritionists swear will help them hit dingers and look jacked while doing it, major-league players used training camp in America to get in shape, too. Ryu seemed to have no idea he could show up husky and happy and was embarrassed by the confusion.

Never a power pitcher, Ryu toyed with hitters like a modern Greg Maddux, out-thinking and out-foxing them and lulling them to sleep and then beating their bats to the spot. He developed a changeup so nasty it rated as the most effective in all of baseball last season.

His teddy bear shape and chill demeanor belie the fact that he is an athletic freak. He’s an enormous dude, yes, but that makes his grace and agility in dancing off the mound and fielding ground balls that much more impressive. His reflexes at catching line drives hit right at him make me wonder if he’d be the Flip Cup champion of the world.

Ryu’s dry sense of humor is unmatched. When he was asked why he came in last place during a team run in his first spring training, he said, according to Eric Stephen of True Blue LA: “The other players don’t listen to what the trainers are saying. The trainers told us to run it in 35 seconds; why are they running it in 26 seconds? I ran it in 35 seconds.”

And let’s not forget the time he went home to Korea after the Dodgers’ playoff exit in 2014 and was spotted at a sporting event wearing a hat that simply said “JUAN URIBE” in gold cursive.

In 740 innings pitched for the Dodgers over the last seven seasons, Ryu posted a 2.98 ERA. Do you know how crazy great that is? He is tied for fourth all time in ERA+ in Dodgers history, behind only Clayton Kershaw, Kevin Brown and Sandy Koufax. (His 129+ is even higher than Don Drysdale’s 121+).

According to the Baseball Reference Player Index, since 1978 only four pitchers with at least 100 starts have posted career ERAs lower than 3.00. They are:

Clayton Kershaw 2.44
Jacob deGrom 2.62
Pedro Martinez 2.93
Hyun-Jin Ryu 2.98

Nice to see that "scouting guru Keith Law" is consistently unable to spot talent beyond the radar gun, and it's not just a blind spot against the Jays.