Former All-Star Pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu Progressing Through Offseason Workouts in Korea

Free agent pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu is ramping up his offseason workouts in Korea, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

The soon-to-be 37-year-old left-hander had Tommy John surgery in June 2022, returning to the Toronto Blue Jays' rotation the following August. Ryu pitched 52.0 innings across 11 games down the stretch in 2023 before entering free agency in November.

Per Morosi, Ryu has had a normal routine so far this winter, opening the door for teams to sign him.

Free agent LHP Hyun Jin Ryu, 36, is ramping up his throwing progression during offseason workouts in South Korea. He's had a normal routine after returning from Tommy John surgery during the second half of 2023. He had a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings for the Blue Jays. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 29, 2024

Ryu first came to MLB in 2013, when the Los Angeles Dodgers gave the Korean southpaw a then-record $36 million contract. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, winning 14 games with a 3.00 ERA and 1.203 WHIP.

After winning another 14 games with a 3.38 ERA and 1.191 WHIP in 2014, Ryu missed the entire 2015 season due to a shoulder injury. He returned for one start in July 2016, only to hurt his elbow and miss the rest of the year.

Ryu tossed a total of 209.0 innings in 2017 and 2018, but he was healthy enough to start Game 2 of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. In 2019, Ryu made his first career All-Star appearance and finished second in NL Cy Young voting after leading the league with a 2.32 ERA.

The Blue Jays lured Ryu out of Los Angeles with a four-year deal the following offseason, and he finished third in AL Cy Young voting right out of the gates in 2020. To that point in his career, Ryu was 59-35 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.163 WHIP and 16.7 WAR.

Ryu's production dipped in 2021, when he posted a 4.37 ERA, and his ERA was sitting at 5.67 in 2022 prior to his Tommy John surgery. Upon his return in 2023, Ryu bounced back with a 3.46 ERA.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound veteran has proven capable of being a viable starting pitcher, when healthy, and Morosi's latest intel seems to suggest that he is physically prepared for another year in the big leagues. Given Ryu's age and injury history, he would almost assuredly take a short-term deal, and now it's just a matter of which teams are willing to take a flier on him.

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