As the free agent market continues to focus on Ryu Hyun-jin’s future, his agent, Scott Boras, is adamant that he will not be heading to South Korea.
Boras spoke to reporters on Sept. 9 (KST) while visiting the Major League Baseball general managers’ meetings at a resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.굿모닝토토
As a “big hand” in the industry with many free agents as clients, there were many reporters in attendance. The interview lasted about an hour.
During the interview, Boras also discussed the situation with Ryu Hyun-jin.
When asked about the possibility of Ryu returning to Korea, he said, “There will be no ‘Korean Reunion’.”
Boras, who has been with Ryu since he entered the major leagues, said, “Ryu will play in the major leagues next season. The demand is huge,” he said, acknowledging that many teams want him.
Ryu has a four-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that expires after the 2023 season.
After recovering from Tommy John surgery, Ryu went 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings over 11 games in 2023. Considering it was his first season back from Tommy John surgery, that’s the best possible outcome.
“Ryu wants a competitive team, he wants a team that he can start for, and he’s back on track,” Boras said. He pitched well, he’s healthy. Obviously, there are teams that want him,” he said, weighing in on Ryu’s chances of staying in the big leagues.
Meanwhile, Boras, who not only has Ryu but also Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery among his top free agents, likened the free agent market to a “frenzy.
“I’ve had seven teams tell me, ‘We need two pitchers, not one,'” he said. The pitching market is very strong,” he said, adding that he is optimistic about the starting market.
He urged teams to pursue free agents, referring to a “two-track” approach of internal development and trades utilizing internal resources, and external free agent acquisitions.
“It’s like a commercial airliner. Commercial airliners don’t fly on one engine. It flies with two. That’s FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulation. We need the FAA for a competitive team. That’s free agent acquisition,” he said, again calling on teams to invest aggressively.