The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued spending money Sunday, signing left-handed Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The contract is for 6 years and is worth $36 million with additional performance bonuses that can increase its value to $42 million.
Ryu, 25, was selected by the Hanwha Eagles, a team in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), with the 1st pick in the 2nd round of the 2006 Korean Baseball Organization Draft. He would make his debut in the same year and would have an 18-6 record with a 2.23 ERA while striking out 205 in 201.2 innings. He was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. He is the only player in KBO history to win the Rookie of the Year Award and Most Valuable Player Award in the same season.
Ryu also took part in international competition and represented Korea. In 2008, he pitched for Korea in the Olympics and would provide 2 wins as Korea would win the gold medal. In 2009, he participated in the World Baseball Classic and would be a part of the silver medal team, losing to Japan. In 2006 and 2010, Ryu participated in the Asian Games and the team would finish in bronze and gold, respectively.
Ryu expressed a desire to pitch for a Major League Baseball team and the Hanwha Eagles agreed to utilize the posting system to seek out a team for the negotiating rights with Ryu. On November 9, 2012, the Eagles accepted the reported offer of $25,737,737.33 from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The contract was agreed upon on December 9, 2012, the last day in the negotiating period.
From 2006 to 2012, Hyun-Jin Ryu had a career record of 98-52 with a 2.80 ERA and 1,238 strikeouts over 1,269 innings. The Dodgers expect Ryu to be a part of the starting rotation that is led by Clayton Kershaw and the recently signed Zack Greinke.
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