Ryu Hyunjin to Make Comeback Home Wearing 'Eagles Wings'?

No MLB Team Yet, Possibility of Returning to Hanwha Eagles Raised
Team Official: "Return Discussions Underway"

There is a possibility of Ryu Hyun-jin returning to the Hanwha Eagles. While the 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in the United States have already started their spring camps, Ryu Hyun-jin has yet to find a team. With no satisfactory contract offers from any team, it is expected that the timing of Ryu Hyun-jin's return to the domestic league, which was anticipated to be in one to two years, may be accelerated. The Hanwha team has acknowledged that they are in negotiations with Ryu Hyun-jin.

According to Yonhap News on the 19th, a Hanwha team official said, although nothing is finalized, "We are discussing Ryu Hyun-jin's return to Hanwha." It is reported that Hanwha has conveyed a specific contract amount to Ryu Hyun-jin, considering the team's salary cap situation. KBS reported that Ryu Hyun-jin has decided to pack up his home gym in Toronto, Canada, and send it to Korea, leading to speculation that his return to Korea is imminent.

Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to CBS Sports, the 30 MLB teams started their spring camps in Florida and Arizona on the 14th and 15th local time. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, who will play their opening games in Seoul on the 20th and 21st of next month, respectively, began their spring camps earliest on the 9th and 11th. All 30 teams have begun rigorous preparations for the 2024 season. In this situation, Ryu Hyun-jin has yet to secure a team.

Ryu Hyun-jin earned $20 million annually over the past four years with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, due to his late 30s age and two elbow surgeries since entering MLB, the contract offers he received this year as a free agent (FA) reportedly did not reach $10 million. Consequently, there is speculation that Ryu Hyun-jin, who had said he would finish his playing career with Hanwha, will return to the domestic league.

Ryu Hyun-jin debuted with Hanwha in 2006 and has played in MLB since 2013. When he entered MLB, he had not completed the eight years required to qualify as a free agent. After seven years with Hanwha, he entered MLB through posting (a private competitive bidding process). Therefore, if Ryu Hyun-jin returns to the domestic league, he can only sign with his original team, Hanwha.

If Ryu Hyun-jin returns to Hanwha, it is highly likely that his contract will surpass that of Kim Kwang-hyun (36, SSG), who returned in 2022 after playing for the MLB St. Louis Cardinals, with a contract worth 15.1 billion won over four years.

A healthy Ryu Hyun-jin remains a top-tier starting pitcher even in MLB. In June 2022, while playing for Toronto, Ryu underwent left elbow ligament reconstruction surgery and, after about a year of rehabilitation, returned to MLB in August last year. Since his return, he has started 11 games, recording 3 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 3.46 (52 innings pitched, 20 earned runs).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.