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SPORTS Tuesday 24 december 2019

AP source: Ryu, Blue Jays agree

to $80 million, 4-year deal

By MIKE FITZPATRICK them with some proven eral stars — including 2018
Hyun-Jin Ryu is headed pitching, the Blue Jays are AL MVP Mookie Betts.
north of the border to a To- set to add Ryu to the top of "One hundred and thirty-
ronto Blue Jays team in dire a revamped rotation that five people in Boras Corp.
need of starting pitching. should also include new- work very hard for players,"
One that was willing to pay comers Tanner Roark and Boras said in a text mes-
for it, too. Ryu and the Blue Chase Anderson. Roark sage to The Associated
Jays agreed to an $80 mil- signed a $24 million, two- Press. "Free agency is an
lion, four-year contract, ac- year deal last week with To- achievement few players In this Oct. 6, 2019, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers starting
cording to a person familiar ronto, which finished fourth ever reach, and I am hon- pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu throws to a Washington Nationals batter
with the negotiations. The in the AL East at 67-95 last ored to work for these tal- during the first inning in Game 3 of a baseball National League
Division Series in Washington.
person spoke late Sunday season. Anderson, also a ented players."q Associated Press
night on condition of ano- right-hander, was acquired
nymity because the deal from Milwaukee last month.
was pending a physical af- The moves follow Toronto
ter Christmas and had not home attendance declin-
been announced. ing from nearly 3.4 million
Ryu was 14-5 with a major in 2016, when the Blue Jays
league-best 2.32 ERA for lost in the AL Champion-
the Los Angeles Dodgers ship Series for the second
last season. He started for straight year, to 1.75 mil-
the National League in his lion last season — the club's
first All-Star Game and fin- lowest since 2010.
ished second in Cy Young Pitching was certainly a
Award voting to New York problem: No starter won
Mets ace Jacob deGrom. more than six games for the
The 32-year-old left-hander Blue Jays this year, and the
from South Korea receives rotation ranked 22nd out of
a $20 million salary each 30 teams with a 5.25 ERA.
of the next four years, with Ryu, who turns 33 in March,
no signing bonus. His deal spent his first seven years in
raised agent Scott Boras' the majors with the Dodg-
total to more than a billion ers after coming over from
dollars in guaranteed con- South Korea and signing
tracts — $1,016,500,000 to a $36 million, six-year con-
be exact — for seven play- tract before the 2013 sea-
ers eligible for free agency son. He was effective the
since the start of Novem- first two years but sat out
ber, agreements extending the 2015 season and made
as many as nine seasons. only one appearance in
Boras previously negoti- 2016 due to left shoulder
ated deals for pitchers Ger- surgery and elbow tendi-
rit Cole ($324 million), Ste- nitis. He also missed time in
phen Strasburg ($245 mil- 2017 with injuries to his left
lion), Dallas Keuchel ($55.5 hip and foot.
million) and Tony Watson Ryu re-emerged with a 1.97
($3 million); third baseman ERA over 15 starts in 2018
Anthony Rendon ($245 and accepted a $17.9 mil-
million) and infielder Mike lion qualifying offer from Los
Moustakas ($64 million). Angeles for 2019. He threw
Toronto is building around a 182 2/3 innings in 29 starts
promising young core of hit- this year for the NL West
ters, including three sons of champions.
former big league stars who Boras is also likely to land lu-
broke into the majors last crative deals in free agen-
season: Vladimir Guerrero cy this winter for outfielder
Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Nicholas Castellanos, and
Biggio. Looking to surround in salary arbitration for sev-