SEOUL, The South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles said Wednesday they will need “a little more time” to finalize their contract with free agent pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin.
The Eagles had been expected to announce their reunion with the 2019 National League (NL) All-Star by Wednesday. However, a club official said it will take a bit more time for the Eagles to make the deal official, and added, “We’re trying to put the finishing touch on the contract in a positive mood.”
The Eagles are reportedly prepared to make Ryu, 36, the highest-paid player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), with a four-year contract worth 17 billion won (US$12.7 million).
Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 and 2012. He was then posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams and the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him before the 2013 season.
Ryu became a free agent after the 2019 season, after leading MLB with a 2.32 ERA and finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award voting. Ryu joined the Toronto Blue Jays on a four-year, $80 mill
ion contract, which expired at the end of last season.
Ryu was linked to a few MLB teams during this offseason but the Eagles approached him with a lucrative offer to bring him back to where it all began.
Ryu has previously said he would finish his career with the Eagles.
Because Ryu left the KBO via posting, rather than free agency, the Eagles still retained rights to Ryu. If he wanted to play for another club in the KBO, the Eagles would have had to release those rights first.
Source: Yonhap News Agency