Former Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays' All-Star Pitcher to Have Deal in Korea Finalized on Thursday

After pitching at the major league level for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, lefty Hyun Jin-Ryu is re-signing with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO. The deal is going to be finished and formally announced on Thursday, per reports.

Update, 9:05 a.m. EST (Wednesday): The deal is still being finalized and will now be announced on Thursday.

Per Yoo on social media:

Hanwha Eagles say they need "a little more time" to finalize their deal with free agent pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. It will likely be announced Thursday (Korean time), instead of Wednesday as expected. Ryu should still be able to join the club in spring training this week.

Hanwha Eagles say they need "a little more time" to finalize their deal with free agent pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. It will likely be announced Thursday (Korean time), instead of Wednesday as expected. Ryu should still be able to join the club in spring training this week.

— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) February 21, 2024

Update: 9:05 a.m. EST: The deal is reportedly done, with Ryu set to be the highest-paid player in the league's history.

Per Yoo:

Hanwha Eagles said they will announce their signing of free agent pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu on Wednesday (Korean time). He's expected to become the highest-paid player in #KBO. Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012. Was MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2006.

Hanwha Eagles said they will announce their signing of free agent pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu on Wednesday (Korean time). He's expected to become the highest-paid player in #KBO.
Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012. Was MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2006.

— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) February 20, 2024

Free agent left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu is reportedly close to heading back to his native South Korea in order to finish his career in the KBO.

Per Korean Baseball Insider Jee-Ho Yoo:

On the verge of reuniting with their former star pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, the South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles have tendered a status check on the free agent hurler, sources familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

Per the sources, the Eagles, through the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) office, formally asked Major League Baseball (MLB) for the status on Ryu.

Under an agreement between the KBO and MLB, any KBO club hoping to contact a player under contract with or reserve to a big league club must carry out a status check through the MLB Commissioner's Office.

In that instance, MLB must respond within four business days.

This appears to be one of the final steps for the Eagles to bring back Ryu after a dozen years apart.

Reports out of South Korea even indicated that the deal is done, but team officials reported that wasn't the case. Either way, it appears to be an extremely real possibility that Ryu won't elect to sign with a major league team. There has been major league interest in Ryu - we heard him connected to the San Diego Padres just a few weeks ago.

The 36-year-old Ryu has spent 10 years in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays and owns a 78-48 lifetime record. He's pitched to a sterling 3.27 ERA and led baseball in ERA (2.32) back in 2019.

He also made the All-Star team that same season and won double-digit games in four separate years.

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