Today, it was reported that the Boston Red Sox recruited right-handed starting agent Lucas Giolito (29). According to MLB.COM on the 30th (Korea time), Boston and Giolito agreed to a two-year contract of $38.5 million (about 50 billion won).
Since his debut in 2016, Giolito has made 178 starts in eight seasons, 61-62 with a 4.43 ERA. He peaked in the 2019 season with 14-9 losses and a 3.41 ERA, with three complete throws and two shutouts. 경마
The 2023 season has been somewhat rough. Through three teams, Giolito has won eight games and lost 15 games with a 4.88 ERA in 33 games. The recruitment of Giolito does not significantly affect Ryu. It should be noted, however, that Ryu and Giolito are roughly similar players in the FA market this year.
On top of that, Giolito has not displayed good performance over the past two years. Although he is younger than Ryu, he was paid an average of nearly 20 million dollars per year. This means that there are fewer proven starters.
Giolito and Ryu Hyun-jin ranked 16th and 17th among the 25 players in the FA rankings, which came from hardbarker a while ago. The media outlet said, “Giolito’s decline over the past two seasons has been disappointing, and after struggling with the Angels and Guardians, he has an ERA of well over 4.00. Reducing the number of walks is sure to be the key to Giolito’s future success. BB/9, which is approaching 10.0, has a lot to improve.”
As for Ryu Hyun-jin, who is ranked 17th, Ryu Hyun-jin, who successfully returned from Tommy John surgery in the second half of 2023, gained momentum and entered the free agent market. The veteran left-hander is now considered the softest pitcher, and his average fastball speed is only 88 miles after his return, but it was not reflected in his ERA. Ryu Hyun-jin said, “The team that buys should be careful because of his poor strikeout rate, but his wide pitching repertoire and elite control increase his value.”
Not only that. U.S. media outlet Sports Kida cited Ryu Hyun-jin and Giolito (on top of that, Blake Sneldo) as one of the three candidates who will change the mind of Steve Cohen who missed out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto. “Last season, Ryu won three games and lost three games with an ERA of 3.46. He had difficulties in his career in recent seasons, but as long as he remains healthy, he will be a great combination with Luis Severino,” he said, adding that Ryu was the first among the three candidates. This means that he is a highly cost-effective pitcher despite not spending that much money.
That’s not all. When looking at the starting pitcher rankings on the U.S. record website FanGraph, Ryu’s contracts continue to be exchanged between the front and back. Lance Lynn and Tyler Mahley received an average of 11 million dollars per year, and Giolito received an average of 1.25 million dollars per year today. Kenta Maeda, who is from the same Asian country, pays 24 million dollars per year for two years (annual average of 12 million dollars).
In general, it is possible to clearly grasp that it is a basic market price of one to two years, and an average of around 11 million won per year. On top of that, there was news that even Flexen, who played for Doosan in the past, had signed a contract. Flexen is known to have signed with the White Sox for a guaranteed amount of $1.75 million (about 2.27 billion won) and a bonus of 1 million dollars (about 1.3 billion won).
Putting all these situations together, MLB can come to the conclusion that starting pitchers are quite valuable at the moment, and it can be inferred to some extent that it is not difficult for Ryu Hyun-jin to win an annual average of more than $10 million.
It’s not that there are no buyers. There is still a long way to go before the shopping is over. One example is the New York Mets, who are considered candidates for Ryu’s recruitment, and San Diego Padres, which is busy reducing payrolls, still remains. Before the winter meeting began, Boras said too firmly that “Ryu Hyun-jin is not returning to Korea.” Looking at the atmosphere so far, the MLB starting pitcher market is hotter than expected, and interest in Ryu is bound to be high.