Let’s be honest here, losing 2019 MLB ERA leader Hyun-Jin Ryu to free agency was a huge blow to the Dodgers. And while the good news is that the extremely popular Incheon, South Korea native and 2019 National League Cy Young runner-up was eventually signed by the American League Toronto Blue Jays (to the tune of 4-years/$80 million) and won’t face his old team until the 2022 season, the bad news is that they will have to face him.

…or will they?

That 2022 season will be the third of Ryu’s four-year deal with Toronto, and as every Dodger fan on the planet knows, Ryu made it through exactly one of his six seasons in LA without some type of serious injury. Among those injuries was significant time missed for left shoulder labrum surgery in 2015, left elbow debridement surgery in 2016, and during the 2018 season for a groin injury in which his groin muscle tore completely off the bone.

On the other side of that coin, however, is that when healthy, the soon-to-be (on March 25) 33-year-old left-hander has been flat-out dominant. In fact, over his six major league seasons, he is 54-33 (.621) with an outstanding 2.98 ERA. That being said, and undoubtedly the number one reason why Dodgers president of baseball operations elected to pass on re-signing Ryu was that ‘soon-to-be 33-year-old’ thing. In the kindest of terms, Ryu will have already had his 36th birthday when that four-year contract ends; a risk that Friedman was simply unwilling to take when he has a stable full of sub-25-year-olds on his current 40-man roster and down on the farm.

All of this said and the thing that has Dodger fans squirming in their off-season seats is that there are still several extremely talented veteran arms out there that teams are very much willing to trade, especially to the Dodgers. The problem is, the asking price will undoubtedly include several guys often referred to as ‘untouchable’ – guys like 22-year-old middle infielder and 2019 Minor League Player of the Year Gavin Lux and 21-year-old top-ranked right-hander Dustin May.

But despite the off-season anxieties that Dodger fans may be experiencing, and despite the fact that many (most) so-called baseball experts still have the Dodgers as favorites to win the NL West for a record-setting eighth consecutive time, the problem – and it is a huge one – is that Andrew Friedman’s and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ team is 0-for-7 in their quest to bring a World Championship to the City of Angels; and that, quite frankly, is unacceptable.

…with or without Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Play Ball!

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