Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu has agreed to a four-year, $80 million sum to join the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. The contract represents the largest free-agent pitching contract ever signed by the franchise and the biggest contract of any kind signed by a front office comprised of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
Ryu's agent, Scott Boras, had criticized the Blue Jays for having a case of “The Blue Flu” due to their spending habits, but they have now put water under the bridge, inking their client to a hefty free-agent deal.
The 32-year-old South Korean is coming off his best season in the major leagues, mustering a terrific 2.32 ERA and racking up 14 wins in the process, the same number of wins he achieved in each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers.
Ryu showed a semblance of doing something special in 2018 when he hurled a career-low 1.97 ERA through 15 games after recovering from a groin injury. The lefty started the season 3-0 and bounced back from his injury to finish his 2018 season 7-3, leaving lots of hope for what was to come.
That hope fleshed out in 2019, as Ryu was named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter after injuries to ace Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill. He went on to amass a 14-5 record, striking out 163 batters while only issuing 24 walks in 182 2/3 innings pitched.
Ryu came in second in National League Cy Young voting after a recount broke an earlier tie with eventual winner Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals. He's now set to become the ace in Toronto, with plenty of momentum behind him.
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