Los Angeles Dodgers: Answering the biggest current offseason questions
By Jason Reed
1. Who is the better option, Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu?
After the Los Angeles Dodgers missed out on Gerrit Cole the reports instantly shifted to the team being interested in longtime rival Madison Bumgarner, which took plenty of Dodger fans by shock. Since then, things appear to be progressing for both sides and the thought of Bumgarner wearing Dodger blue is legitimate.
However, there is another talented southpaw that is a little bit closer to home that is still available in Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is coming off of a career season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. At this point in the offseason, the question looks to be who the Dodgers should bring in.
I have seen some fans that are hoping to bring in both, which would create a deadly starting rotation, but that is not practical for the Dodgers and is very far-fetched.
Personally, I lean towards Ryu, even though there are reasons not to. Ryu has had health worries in the past and that carries to this offseason and his age, he turns 33 in March, could be an issue.
Bumgarner is younger, he turns 31 in August and has been rather consistent for most of his career.
However, Bumgarner has also been on a bit of a downward track in recent years. He has not been an all-star since 2016 and over the last three years has a combined ERA of 3.57.
The problem with Bumgarner is that he is likely going to get a much bigger offer than Ryu because of his namesake and the age factor, whereas the Dodgers could get a cheaper price on Ryu and have him perform as good if not better.
Plus, it might take five or six years to sign Bumgarner and I am not sure that the Dodgers would commit to that long of a contract to someone on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile, Ryu would likely get a three-year deal, making him the smarter fit.