Dodgers win bid for Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-Jin

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the negotiating rights to South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-Jin over the weekend for a posting fee of $25.73 million, reports Mike Petriello of MSTI:

Very good source I trust a lot confirms to me the Dodgers have won Ryu.

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) November 10, 2012

The $25.73 million is the largest bid ever for a Korean player and nearly equals the combined payroll of all eight Korean Baseball Organization teams. The Dodgers now have thirty days to come to terms on a contract with Ryu and his agent, Scott Boras.

Ryu, 25, is a seven-time All-Star with the KBO and helped lead South Korea to an Olympic gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games. The young left-hander has a fastball that tops out in the low-90s, a "plus changeup with good arm speed" and a high-70s curveball that still needs some work, according to Keith Law of ESPN.

With six starters already on the Dodgers’ roster, it is unclear at the moment where Ryu fits into the rotation. The lefty could start out in the bullpen or LA could move a piece or two to make room for him, but the Dodgers need to worry about signing Ryu first before shuffling the roster around.