The Blue Jays have found their ace — a big-money, top-of-the-rotation starter in the form of free agent left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The news broke late Sunday that the rebuilding Toronto franchise signed the 32-year-old South Korean to a four-year US$80-million deal.
The signing turned a quiet off-season into a home-run acquisition for Jays general manager Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro.
Most importantly, it gives manager Charlie Montoyo and pitching coach Pete Walker a legitimate starter to lead the young team after one of hits worst seasons in decades.
Though he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers for six seasons, Ryu led the majors in earned-run average in his outstanding 2019 campaign, finishing with a 2.32 ERA which earned him an All-Star berth and a runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award. Those honours were well earned with a 14-5 record which included 182.2 innings of work and 163 strikeouts.
Obviously the southpaw immediately vaults to the top of a Toronto rotation that for the most part was a disaster last season. It got particularly bad when Aaron Sanchez continued to battle injury issues and Marcus Stroman was a disruption in the clubhouse. Both were dealt prior to the July 31 MLB trade deadline and a troubled season in which the Jays used 21 different starters was in full disarray.
In Ryu, however, the team now has a legit ace to build around and complement the talented group of young position players led by Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio.
It also makes it a productive off-season for Atkins and a Jays offence that has taken a lot of heat from a frustrated fan base. Quietly the Jays brass made it known they were serious about Ryu, however, and from a perception standpoint with the clubs followers, landing him has to be viewed as a large score.
Already, the team has acquired potential starters in Chase Anderson, Tanner Roark and Shun Yamaguchi, the latter who would appear to be a candidate for the bullpen.
As with any acquisition, the Ryu deal is pending a physical, which isn’t likely to take place until the new year. In his six seasons with the Dodgers, Ryu compiled a record of 54-33 with a stellar 2.98 ERA. Prior to coming to North America, Ryu was a legend in his homeland where he was a star in the Korean Baseball Organization.
The signing comes with some risk, however, given Ryu’s age and the fact that he has battled injuries throughout his career. But his most recent form is difficult to ignore and the need to acquire a pitcher with star power and effective stuff was critical.
From a money standpoint, the expenditure on the lefty is certainly a breakthrough for the Jays organization. Atkins has vowed all off-season that he had clearance from team owner Rogers Communications to spend — and spend he did.
The reported $80-million outlay is the most under the current administration and is the most money the team has spent since signing Canadian-born catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82-million contract. It also continues a massive MLB off-season for free-agent pitchers to break the bank. The biggest of those contracts went to Gerrit Cole, who signed with the Yankees for a record US$324 million.
In a perfect world, the Jays likely would have preferred topping out at three years for Ryu, so the term certainly brings some risk as the pitcher ages. On the other hand, with the Yankees getting so strong, so much young talent on the roster and attendance plummeting, one could argue that the team could ill afford not to make a splash by acquiring a quality arm.
The recent Jays acquisitions certainly change the makeup of a pitching staff that laboured last year. If you were projecting a rotation today — seven weeks and change before pitchers and catchers report to Dunedin, Fla. for spring training — Ryu would be at the top followed by Roark, Anderson, and Matt Shoemaker (who is coming off of knee surgery), with Ryan Borucki and Trent Thornton battling for the fifth spot.
With Ryu under contract for four years, if things go to plan the Jays pitching situation now seems loaded with promise. Nate Pearson, one of the most coveted pitching prospects in the game, is a year at most from a potential arrival in the big leagues and a host of other strong arms, including 2019 first-round pick Alek Manoah are also well regarded.
Until the Ryu signing, the Jays off-season was dominated by talk — with both Atkins and Shapiro maintaining they were aggressively pursuing big names. Sources around the league confirmed that strategy by Toronto management and now the talk is real.
And perhaps the Christmas miracle came just in time to stuff some Blue Jays tickets under the tree.
rlongley@postmedia.com
