Quality starting pitching is becoming increasingly scarce in Major League Baseball. There are so few healthy, quality starters that there are only five pitchers with a sub-2 ERA in regulation innings pitched. This is why the value of starting pitching will inevitably increase in free agency.
The market value of Hyun-jin Ryu, 36, who will become a free agent after this season after signing a four-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, is also on the rise. Since returning to the mound 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June, Ryu is 3-3 with a 2.62 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and a 1.12 WHIP in nine starts (44⅔ innings).
He hasn’t thrown more than 90 pitches since returning from injury, and he’s only gone six innings once, but he’s been pitching well. He’s held seven of his nine starts to two earned runs or less, and he’s been counting. As he returns to full strength in his second year back from Tommy John surgery, expectations are high for Ryu next year.
The local media is also interested in Ryu’s future after the season, with the New York Post listing him as a possible free agent signing for the New York Mets. Veteran journalist Joel Sherman wrote about the Mets’ first year under new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns on the 17th and mentioned Ryu as a free agent who could be a good fit for the team’s retooling.
Sherman wrote, “The best-case scenario for the Mets’ starting rotation next year would be to acquire Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) and sign Ryu Hyun-jin and Luis Severino (New York Yankees) to one-year deals. “We need to add players who can help us compete immediately without disrupting our payroll in the future,” he said.
‘Ryu, who turns 37 next March, has missed most of the last two seasons with Tommy John surgery, while Severino is coming off a career-worst year with an oblique injury. Both pitchers have physical red flags, but the demand for starting pitching could be high enough to warrant a one-year deal or more,” he said.
However, he has a lot of upside, and he should be acquired to add depth. Sherman said, “Ryu is not very shaky. He’s organized, and he knows how to use his repertoire,’ and ‘Severino still has good pitches. The Yankees put pressure on him to prove himself, but he has the potential to make a difference when the environment changes,” Sherman said. 바카라
The Mets, who slipped to fourth place in the National League East this year (70-80) and are far from fall baseball, traded away both of their highest-paid pitchers, Max Scherzer (Texas Rangers) and Justin Verlander (Houston Astros), in July and August to rebuild the team. The Brewers aren’t looking to win a championship next year, but rather to retool the team to be able to compete next year. Stearns, who led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first four consecutive years of fall baseball from 2018-2021, has agreed to a five-year contract. Stearns will begin his duties in October.
The Mets have two starting pitchers locked in for next year, Senga Godai and Jose Quintana, with three other spots up in the air. They have a few prospects, including Jose Buto, but they haven’t yet established themselves as a legitimate force. Ideally, the Mets would sign a proven starter to a short-term, one-year deal to fill out the rotation in order to remain competitive next season, but it’s doubtful that’s how the market will play out. Sherman listed Genta Maeda, Tyler Mahle (Minnesota Twins), and James Paxton (Boston Red Sox) as other possible starting pitching candidates.