Dodgers Sign Korean Pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu
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Major League Baseball(NEW YORK) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued their spending spree. This time the Dodgers signed South Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu to a six-year, $36 million-dollar deal. Ryu can opt out of the deal after the fifth year if he reaches pitches 750 innings.
“We are excited to welcome Hyun-Jin Ryu to Los Angeles and the United States, continuing the tradition of Korean pitchers with the Dodger organization,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said.
The Dodgers spent $25.7 million to have exclusive rights to negotiate with Ryu and his agent Scott Boras. The timeframe to negotiate would have expired at 2 p.m. Pacific on Sunday. If a deal was not reached, Ryu would have been sent back to South Korea, and the Dodgers would have their $25.7 million negotiating fee.
The 25-year-old Ryu has pitched seven seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, where he posted a 98-52 record and a 2.80 ERA.
Ryu joins a crowded rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, Aaron Harang, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and possibly Zach Greinke.
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