Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Hyun-Jin Ryu Identified as Eighth-Best Free Agent by MLB.com

This winter is shaping up to be feature some star-studded free agents. Despite the past few offseasons moving at a snail-like pace, there is some excitement for this year’s class. So much so that Antony Castrovince ranked baseball’s top 20 free agents on MLB.com. The list features some of the most prominent faces in October this season, from Gerrit Cole to Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon.

Dodgers fans will see a familiar face on the list in Hyun-Jin Ryu (and Puig, but that’s not this story). It should come as no surprise that Ryu is considered at the top of this free agent class considering how dominant he was in 2019, but what is surprising is where he was ranked. Ryu came in at number eight on the list, and this is what Castrovince had to say about the Cy Young candidate:

“The Dodgers got a steal when Ryu accepted the $17.9 million qualifying offer last winter, but his second-half numbers (3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) took some of the shine off his Cy Young Award bid, and durability questions could affect his earning power this winter. Bear in mind that Ryu’s 182 2/3 innings were his most since 2014.”

Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg undoubtedly deserve the top three spots, but it’s an eyebrow raiser that he knocked Ryu for his second half struggles, but he still had a better overall season statistically than Zack Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner, who both are ranked higher than Ryu. His age might also be a factor, as he will turn 33 before the start of the 2020 season.

What are your thoughts about Ryu’s free agency, and do you agree with Castrovince’s ranking?

8 Comments

  1. Ryu is 8th best FA
    Where’s Dave Roberts ranked for worst Dodger manager?
    How many World Series is this guy going to mess up before he gets kicked to the curb?

  2. Let him walk unless he’ll accept a 2 year deal with a team option for a 3rd if he meets certain criteria. His 183 innings is an anomaly and as he gets older he’s not likely to get there again considering his injury history.

  3. Ryu just had five tough starts with the Dodgers. I don’t think he deserves to be 8th place. Maybe the age factor kicked in here, but I seriously feel he deserves to be above Bumgarner and Wheeler. He did a much better job than these guys.

    1. Agreed! They make it sound like his second-half numbers (3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) stink………there are a ton of starters in rotations all over MLB that would love to have those second half numbers. As a for instance………..Bumgarners ERA for ALL of 2019……….3.90!

    2. Prediction: Ryu will not return to DodgerBlu, Hill = no. Like Hill, but cant stay healthy. Little harsh here but, let them walk. Need front end starter desperately.

  4. Free agents …………….Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill, David Freese, Russell Martin and Jedd Gyroko. Let’s face it………..only Ryu & Hill will probably return. No question the Dodgers need them both and losing Freese will hurt too. Dodgers have always been blessed with superior starting pitching. If they lose Ryu and Hill the starting rotation suddenly becomes another weak spot to go with that leaky bullpen. But since Dave Roberts cannot seem to master how to use his pitchers effectively, I’m not sure who we have pitching for us matters anymore.

    1. Need Hill? Why? A four inning pitcher who spends half the season on the dl. We have more than enough competent starters who are younger and less injury prone. Let him walk.

  5. Hope that with a little experience Dodgers pitchers( May and the rest of Dogers youngsters) had …will take them over the hump , good surprises can happen again with some knowledge of what it is like in the major leagues more confidence and less pressure to succeed and they may “pitchers” who can totally surprise everyone.

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