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Another day, another starting pitcher for the Dodgers. The club on Sunday agreed to terms with Hyun-jin Ryu, inking the South Korean left-handed pitcher to a contract, per both Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the deal as $36 million over six years, including an opt-out clause after five years. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports noted the opt-out clause is contingent upon Ryu reaching an innings threshold.
Ryu can also earn up to $1 million annually in performance bonuses based on innings pitched, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times: $250,000 each for 170, 180, 190, and 200 innings.
Per Hernandez, Ryu will wear No. 99 with the Dodgers. The only other Dodgers player to wear that number was Manny Ramirez. Finally, Ryu can't be sent to the minors without his written consent, per Hernandez.
The Dodgers bid a reported $25,737,737.33 to win the exclusive negotiating rights to Ryu, paid to the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. The Dodgers were awarded the bid on Nov. 10, and Sunday marked the 30th and final day for the Dodgers to get a deal done with the pitcher.
With Ryu in the fold, the Dodgers now have eight starting pitchers under contract for next season, including Zack Greinke, who agreed to a six-year, $147 million deal on Saturday.
At $36 million excluding the bid to Hanwha, Ryu is tied for the fifth-largest contract in total value given to a pitcher in Dodgers history.
| Largest Dodgers Pitching Contracts, Total Value | ||
| Pitcher | Years | Contract |
| Zack Greinke | 2013-2018 | 6 years, $147 million |
| Kevin Brown | 1999-2005 | 7 years, $105 million |
| Darren Dreifort | 2001-2005 | 5 years, $55 million |
| Jason Schmidt | 2007-2009 | 3 years, $47 million |
| Derek Lowe | 2005-2008 | 4 years, $36 million |
| Ryu Hyun-jin | 2013-2018 | 6 years, $36 million |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 2008-2010 | 3 years, $35.3 million |
| Chad Billingsley | 2012-2014 | 3 years, $35 million |
| Ted Lilly | 2011-2013 | 3 years, $33 million |
Ryu, who turns 26 on March 25, was a seven-time All-Star in his seven years in the KBO, and won five league strikeout titles, including in 2012. Ryu was 9-9 with a 2.66 ERA and a career-best 210 strikeouts in 2012, with 46 walks in 182⅔ innings. In seven years with Hanwha, Ryu was 98-52 with a 2.80 ERA, with 1,238 strikeouts in 1,269 innings.
Ryu allowed two runs in two starts, both wins, in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, including winning the gold medal game. He pitched five games in relief in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, including the semifinal and final games at Dodger Stadium. In the 2009 WBC, Ryu allowed two runs in seven innings, with seven strikeouts.
With Ryu and Greinke, the Dodgers will have 40 players on the 40-man roster.