LHP Ryu gives Blue Jays ace to pair with talented young core

TORONTO (AP) — Hyun-Jin Ryu is the ace the Toronto Blue Jays needed to pair with a lineup flush with “baseball royalty.”

That’s the view agent Scott Boras has of the four-year, $80 million deal that brought the Korean left-hander north of the border.

Ryu agreed to join the Jays last weekend, then flew in from Korea for an introductory news conference Friday, greeting a live television audience with a wide smile and a few words in each of his new home country’s official languages.

“Hello, Canada,” Ryu said. “Bonjour. I’m happy to be here and I’m going to make the Toronto Blue Jays proud.”

Ryu was 14-5 with a major league-best 2.32 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He started for the National League in his first All-Star Game and finished second in Cy Young Award voting to New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

Ryu’s is the second-biggest free agent deal in Blue Jays history, trailing only the five-year, $82 million contract former general manager Alex Anthopoulos gave catcher Russell Martin in November 2014.

“This is the next step in what we feel is a plan to build a sustainable championship team,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said.

General manager Ross Atkins praised Ryu for his “insane athleticism” and his ability to get outs with different pitches in all four corners of the strike zone.

“You truly are fun to watch play,” Atkins told his new ace.

Toronto needed a dependable starter to stabilize its rotation and help get the most from its crop of young talent, including four sons of former players, a group Boras regards with regal admiration.

“It was very clear from our conversations with Mark that the Blue Jays were willing to move forward and start building a base to complement the young players they have, and advance...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LHP-Ryu-gives-Blue-Jays-ace-to-pair-with-talented-14935186.php