Los Angeles Dodgers: Predicting the fate of biggest Dodger free agents

Hyun-Jin Ryu: Signs a five-year, $125 million contract elsewhere

This is the one that takes the air out of Dodger fans’ tires. Hyun-Jin Ryu was the best pitcher on the Los Angeles Dodgers and was the best pitcher in the Major Leagues for most of the season. While Jacob deGrom has been picking up Cy Young steam, Ryu absolutely deserves to win it.

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Just as any Dodger fan, I would love to see Ryu return in Dodger blue next season. However, after a breakout season like this, and after he took the qualifying offer from the Dodgers, it is just hard to see him sticking around.

First of all, there are going to be teams that are going to offer him this kind of contract. Pitching is so scarce for a lot of teams in the league that simply do not have the luxury the Dodgers have. Just look at teams like the Los Angeles Angels, who could drastically use an arm like Ryu.

The case for not paying Ryu this much money is his injury history. Ryu missed most of his contract anyway with the Dodgers because of his injuries and even in the last two years, which have been fantastic, Ryu has missed time.

Here’s the crazy part: as old as Clayton Kershaw feels, he is actually younger than Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ryu will be 33 next season, Kershaw will be 32.

There will be some team out there that offers Ryu this kind of contract, knowing that they are paying for the first three years of his services and hoping he can be decent in those last two.

And even if it is not this much, I doubt the Dodgers would go any higher than the three-year, $48 million they gave Rich Hill prior to the 2017 season.