LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Dodgers are the US team that won a bidding war to obtain the negotiating rights to top South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin, Major League Baseball announced yesterday.
The announcement came after Hanwha Eagles said they had accepted a bid worth more than $25m from a US club for rights to the left-handed hurler, although the Korean club declined to name which Major League team had won the auction.
“We’ve decided to accept the highest posting fee worth $25,737,737.33,” the Eagles said on the team’s official website.
“We believe this figure is acceptable for the rights to the top ace in South Korea.”
The Dodgers now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Ryu through agent Scott Boras. Ryu’s posting fee is reportedly the third largest ever, following Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish’s worth $51.7m, his compatriot Daisuke Matsuzaka’s, worth $51.1m.
“I’ve made a step forward for a dream come true,” Ryu was quoted as saying on the Eagles website.AFP
