Ryu Hyun-jin (36) hasn’t signed a contract yet, but he’s still considered a notable free agent in the major leagues.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, listed the “top free agents still on the market” on Nov. 18 (KST). It has been nearly 10 days since Shohei Ohtani decided to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, but many players have yet to make a decision due to the lukewarm market.
Hyun-jin Ryu is one of them and has been labeled a “mid-level starting pitching option” by MLB.com. He was joined on the list by Frankie Montas, Michael Lorenzen, Sean Manaea, Mike Clevinger, Alex Wood, and James Paxton. They’re not big names, but they’re proven starters who can bolster a starting rotation.
“The market for pitchers in this class is already active, with Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha (Kansas City Royals), Genta Maeda and Zach Flaherty (Detroit Tigers), Wade Miley (Milwaukee Brewers), Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals), and Luis Severino (New York Mets) finding new homes,” MLB.com writes, “but there are still a few more solid middle-of-the-rotation options left.
They may not be the most flashy names, but all of these pitchers can help bolster a starting staff.
While Lugo (three years, $45 million) and Maeda (two years, $24 million) are multi-year deals, Waka (one plus one year, $16 million), Flaherty (one year, $14 million), Severino (one year, $14 million), Gibson (one year, $13 million), Lynn (one plus one year, $11 million), and Wade Miley (one year, $8.5 million) are mostly one-year deals that are worth more than $10 million.
Ryu is expected to get a similar deal to those guys. He is still expected to be in demand as a competitive starter, but we haven’t heard anything yet. 안전놀이터 This is largely due to the fact that most of the top free agents, including “pitcher’s biggest name” Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have not decided on a destination.
MLB.com calls Yamamoto the biggest free agent remaining, saying, “He’ll be the second-biggest signing of this free agency. He’ll probably sign for more than $300 million. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman recently reported that Yamamoto could sign a 12-year deal, which would be longer than any other pitcher in major league history. The Mets, Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams that have shown strong interest in Yamamoto.
Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Shota Imanaga, Marcus Stroman, and Lucas Giolito have been mentioned as free agent starting pitchers at the next level after Yamamoto. MLB.com writes, “Teams that miss out on Yamamoto can immediately upgrade their starting rotation by signing any of these pitchers. Snell, who won his second Cy Young Award this year, leads the group.
Other free agent starters recovering from injuries include Clayton Kershaw and Brandon Woodruff.
Josh Hader was the only reliever on the list. Hector Neris, Aroldis Chapman, David Robertson, Jordan Hicks, and Robert Stephenson round out the middle relievers.
On the outfield, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman were the top names for versatility. Other long-hitting hitters included Reese Hoskins, J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler, Teoscar Hernandez, Mitch Garber, and Adam Duvall. Other notable free agents for the rest of the field include Jacob Pederson, Brandon Belt, and Justin Turner.
