Ryu Hyun-jin aims for 13th win this season against the Yankees

Which team will have Dodgers’ left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin next year? The next steps Ryu will take next season are gathering a significant amount of attention in the Major League Baseball as he is one of the strongest candidates of Cy Young Award in the National League this year. On Thursday, mlb.com, the official homepage of MLB, made predictions on his next season, saying Ryu, who will become a free agent in the second straight year, will “shake up free agent pitching class.”

Ryu, who debuted in the MLB in 2013, earned an FA status in the previous season but chose to stay in the Dodgers, accepting their qualifying offer at an annual salary of 17.9 million U.S. dollars. This season, the South Korean is churning out some awe-inspiring records with 12 wins, three losses, and a 1.64 ERA. Evaluations on his FA prospect are positive in general. It is indisputable that Ryu is a top of the line starting pitcher.

“(Ryu) dominates without needing to bunch together strikeouts, and doesn’t need to throw 100 mph,” one NL executive explained. “He can really pitch; any pitch, any time. He commands the baseball…and he is so unique.”

“Why are Gerrit Cole and Madison Bumgarner getting all the hype?”, the article put a question, citing Ryu’s age and injury history as reason why “more people are talking about impending free agents Dallas Keuchel and Zack Wheeler than Ryu.” “I think he may actually be viewed slightly lower than some in that group perceptually,” one AL talent evaluator said, mentioning the potential benefits for him to sign ahead of the other pitchers and get a better deal.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com