November 5th, 2018 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Last Friday, while the entire baseball world waited anxiously to learn if Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw was going to opt out of his seven-year / $215 million contract or not, something else happened that, for the most part, went pretty much under the radar – the Dodgers did not engage in contract extension talks with now free agent Hyun-Jin Ryu. Instead, they made him – and fellow new free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal – a qualifying offer to the tune of $17.9 million each for the 2019 season.
Making Grandal a qualifying offer was pretty much expected, as Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi are hoping that some team – any team – will offer the soon-to-be (this Thursday) 30-year-old La Habana, Cuba native a multi-year free agent contract so that the Dodgers will receive a ‘competitive balance’ draft pick between the second and third rounds of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft in June.
Unfortunately, it’s now looking like their best laid plans may have backfired, due in no short part to Grandal’s dismal second half of the 2018 regular season (.226) and even more dismal postseason (.138) – in addition to his absolutely horrendous defense – which, quite frankly, makes it highly unlikely that some team – any team – will be inclined to pay him more than the $17.9 million qualifying offer.
But making a QO to Ryu, who posted an impressive 7-3 record and team-best 1.97 ERA among all Dodger starters in 2018, was quite unexpected and screams ‘What aren’t they telling us?’
The initial thought is, of course, that there is something physically wrong with the 31-year-old Incheon, South Korea native, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on December 9, 2012, signing him to a six-year / $36 million contract through the 2018 season; this in addition to another $25.7 million posting fee that the Dodgers had to pay the Hanwha Eagles just to be able to negotiate with him.
Granted, that combined $61.7 million was a boatload of money, but here again, Ryu completed his six seasons in Los Angeles with a 40-28 (.588) record and impressive 3.20 ERA over his combined 97 appearances, of which 96 were starts.
If you recall, the 6′-3″ / 250-pound left-hander underwent season-ending left shoulder surgery for a torn labrum in May of 2015. He then suffered a left groin injury in 2016 that cost him a month on the disabled list. But the crushing blow came during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 2, 2018 when he again suffered a left groin injury, this time tearing the muscle completely off the bone and for which he spent three months on the DL.
Ryu walks off the field with assistant athletic trainer Nate Lucero and interpreter Bryan Lee after injuring his left groin on May 2,2018. The extremely popular South Korean left-hander would spend the next three months on the disabled list. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
Whether or not any (or all) of this has anything to do with the Dodgers making Ryu the $17.9 million qualifying offer, which he is expected to accept, instead of negotiating a longer term free agent contract is pure speculation. That being said, if he does in fact accept the QO and puts in a decent injury-free 2019 season, he will be in an excellent position to land a very lucrative free agent contract thereafter … if he has a decent injury-free 2019 season.
Stay tuned…
Posted in 
That one relief appearance was a three inning save.
I don’t think Hyun-Jin has ever got the fan appreciation he deserves. Sharing the limelight with Kershaw and Greinke surely had something to do with it, then the time missed with his labrum surgery. It took time but he’s pitching better than ever now.
I do hope he stays, but he certainly deserves more respect from the nerds.
Making QO to Ryu is more likely a vote of confidence by Dodgers that he is healthy and team wants to retain his services. During the 10 day period between offer and decision Ryu’s agent has an opportunity to assess his client’s value to other MLB teams from which a longer term contract could be negotiated. I hope Ryu remains with Dodgers whether for a year or 3 years. Retaining Ryu puts Dodgers in great shape to trade either Rich Hill or Alex Wood, both of whom can be free agents after the 2019 season.
So can Ryu if he settles for the QO.
Player accepting a QO, or signing as a FA, cannot be traded without his permission until June 15 of the upcoming season.
I can tell you what the Dodgers are hiding, shh, it’s a big secret! The secret is their business plan isn’t to sign big long term contracts, especially when the have good dirt cheap internal options!
That’s a secret? They’re not doing such a good job of hiding it.
Meanwhile, you’re exaggerating the case. The likes of Kersh, Kenley, and JT can’t be called “dirt cheap”.
Friedman has often acknowledged they don’t go after the biggest names on the market. That’s not their problem. The real problem is their style of play, dictated by the nerds. Sitting back waiting for home runs can work, but not so well against the best teams. This is the third straight year they’ve had their season ended by the World Champions.
I’d like to see a ranking of all teams showing how many RBI’s they average per home run. I’m betting the Dodgers rank low on that list. Good power teams make the post-season. Good small ball teams make the post-season.
Teams that successfully combine both win the post-season.
What he said. 👆👆👆
I agree we need more of a mix offensively. But can’t you see I’m being facetious re our secret? I’m just playing off of the writers weak thesis that the Dodgers are hiding something. And re salary I wasn’t referring to JT, Jansen and Kershaw. Every roster/payroll should have room to sign a free agent when there’s a need, no internal option and a good replacement on the market. We had no other option at the time for 3rd base and closer.
But now do we need a high priced outfielder or shortstop( harper,machado)? No!
“…the writers weak thesis…” (I am assuming that you inadvertently left out the apostrophe).
There are occasions when writers (plural, not possessive) are told things in confidence, to which they have given their word that they will not reveal (often referred to as “trust”), but I imagine that there are some who might have difficulty understanding this concept.
Have a great day.