Dodgers, Hyun-Jin Ryu agree to 6-year deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu have agreed on a six-year, $36 million deal, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

ryu gets $36M for 6 yrs. also has opt out after 5.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 9, 2012

The fifth-year opt-out is triggered only if the left-hander throws 175 innings during the first five years of his contract. The contract also includes performance incentives of up to $1 million for each of the six seasons, which could bring the deal to a grand total of $42 million.

Ryu also received a signing bonus of $5 million.

The Dodgers won the bid for Ryu on Nov. 9 for $25 million for the chance to sign the pitcher over a 30-day window. The deal was struck just hours before the 30-day window closed.

Ryu, 25, is arguably the best pitcher in the Korean Baseball Organization. He was the first to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player award in the same season. His arsenal of pitches, fastball from 90-95 mph, decent curveball, slider, and devastating changeup, is built for the MLB. His changeup is his put-out pitch.

For his career, Ryu has a 98-52 record and a 2.80 ERA. In international play, Ryu won a gold medal with the South Korean national baseball team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and also represented the runner-up Korean team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

The Dodgers now have a fleet of starting pitchers on their roster, with Ryu and right-hander Zack Greinke joining Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang in an eight-deep rotation. It is unlikely that the club will go forward with all eight pitchers, so Capuano and/or Harang may be traded.