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Arguably the last exciting starting pitcher is off the market:
BREAKING: Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a four-year, $80 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2019
Ryu was first in the MLB with a 2.32 ERA, had the 5th best chase rate at 36.7%, and posted the 9th highest ground ball rate at 50.4%. He’s 32 years old (still good years left) but now takes his talents to the AL East, where his home park is unfavorable and he’ll square off against the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees within the division. Sure, catching the Orioles on occasion softens the blow a tad, but not by much. Overall, I hate this move for fantasy baseball purposes.
With an ADP of 104 per NFBC data, Ryu is being drafted around guys like Tim Anderson, Yasmani Grandal, Sonny Gray, Mike Soroka, and Josh Donaldson. Gray is a nice comparison. Both have home hitter’s parks, but one is two years younger and pitches in the NL—and had a 2.87 ERA last year. I doubt I have much of Ryu in 2019. What say you all?