“I’ll make it short and thick” Ryu Hyun-jin’s return to Hanwha is still… At least a one-year contract is no problem?

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• on Aug 06, 2023

Ryu Hyun-jin (36‧ Toronto) underwent elbow ligament reconstruction surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June 2022 and disappeared from the fans’ attention for a while. The timing of his return was of utmost concern. There was a reason. This is because it was related to Ryu Hyun-jin’s qualification as a free agent (FA).

Usually, the rehabilitation period for Tommy John surgery is between 1 year and 1 year and 6 months. Rehabilitation programs change little by little according to trends, but it is not easy to return to practice within a year. Ryu Hyun-jin already had elbow surgery in high school, and he had shoulder surgery in 2015, so he had to rehabilitate more carefully. So the prospect came that he would be closer to 1 year and 6 months rather than 1 year.

If it was close to 1 year and 6 months, Ryu Hyun-jin’s Toronto career could have ended as it is. Hyun-jin Ryu signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Toronto ahead of the 2020 season, and the four-year contract ends with the 2023 season. This is the reason why local media in Toronto predicted that “Ryu Hyun-jin’s career in Toronto may end as it is,” and the speculation was reasonable. However, Ryu Hyun-jin aimed for his return in the second half of 2023, and he actually returned that way.

If Ryu Hyun-jin returned in September or October, he could have too little time to prove his health ahead of free agent qualification. Ryu Hyun-jin will turn 37 in 2024 and is a pitcher with a history of elbow surgery. It was an environment where other teams were not sure of a comeback or had no choice but to hesitate. However, Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned with the start of August, has at least time to prove that he has recovered from the aftermath of elbow surgery.

The ‘New York Post’ also looked back on the trade deadline of the New York Mets on the 3rd (Korean time) and selected several veteran pitchers who could help next year’s power, and selected Ryu Hyun-jin and James Paxton as one of them. Also, Chris Sale (Boston), who has a contract worth $27.5 million in 2024, is also expected to be a trade candidate.먹튀검증

Recently, the Mets tried to win the World Series with a tremendous reinforcement, but this season was disappointing and they traded both Max Scherzer (Texas) and Justin Verlander (Houston). However, it seems clear that he will try to win the World Series again next season, and it is expected that he will be busy in the free agent market in the process. Ryu Hyun-jin is also classified as a player who can sign a 1-2 year contract.

It’s a matter of a large part of this year’s grades. If Ryu Hyun-jin shows off his building materials, it can be an attractive sale. Ryu Hyun-jin is not a player who can sign a long-term contract of more than four years anyway. Not many teams are willing to gamble on a player who is older and only six months after returning from elbow surgery. For this reason, there is a possibility that Ryu Hyun-jin will also accept a short-term contract for 1-2 years, and if so, the club can reduce the risk burden with a single-year contract with a higher average annual amount.

Ryu Hyun-jin is a pitcher who has already been sufficiently verified in the major leagues, including second place in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2019 and third place in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2020. Because of this, apart from his amount, if only his health proves it, he can become popular in the market. In the market, there are many teams that need reinforcement of starters, and if a team cannot recruit an ace, enough teams can appear to pay attention to Ryu Hyun-jin in terms of cost efficiency.

If there is a team that offers a major league contract, Ryu Hyun-jin is also likely to take on his last challenge in the major leagues. Ryu Hyun-jin has announced that he will play the last part of his active career at Hanwha, his home team, but as he is still competitive in the major leagues, it is highly likely that his return to Hanwha will be delayed a little longer. Ryu Hyun-jin also smiled, saying, “I will make it shorter and thicker” when he was told, “As long as I had elbow surgery, I can continue my career as a player for a long time.”

Returning to Korea is highly likely to happen when no team offers a major league contract and Ryu Hyun-jin’s competitiveness in the league has dropped significantly. Considering that such a time has not yet arrived, Ryu Hyun-jin’s major league career is expected to continue a little longer. The remaining schedule for this year can be a yardstick for estimating this.