Blue Jays will sign Ryu to 4-year, $80M contract

Hyun-Jin Ryu is headed north of the border to a Blue Jays team in dire need of starting pitching.

One that was willing to pay for it, too.

Ryu and the Blue Jays agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract, The AP reported late Sunday night.

Ryu was 14-5 with a major league-best 2.32 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He started for the National League in his first All-Star Game and finished second in Cy Young Award voting to Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

The 32-year-old left-hander from South Korea receives a $20 million salary each of the next four years, with no signing bonus. His deal raised agent Scott Boras’ total to more than a billion dollars in guaranteed contracts — $1,016,500,000 to be exact — for seven players eligible for free agency since the start of November, agreements extending as many as nine seasons.

Boras previously negotiated deals for pitchers Gerrit Cole ($324 million), Stephen Strasburg ($245 million), Dallas Keuchel ($55.5 million) and Tony Watson ($3 million); third baseman Anthony Rendon ($245 million) and infielder Mike Moustakas ($64 million).

The Blue Jays are building around a promising young core of hitters, including three sons of former big league stars who broke into the majors last season: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio. Looking to surround them with some proven pitching, the Blue Jays are set to add Ryu to the top of a rotation that should also include newcomers Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson.

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College football: LSU junior RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has a hamstring injury and is questioable for the top-ranked Tigers’ College Football Playoff semifinal game against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl on Saturday. Edwards-Helaire, an All-SEC first-team selection, has a team-high 1,290 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs and 50 receptions for 399 yards and a score . ... Richie Grant and Tre’mon Morris-Brash had first-quarter defensive TDs, Dillon Gabriel led three third-quarter scoring drives and UCF beat Marshall 48-25 in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. The Knights (10-3) reached 10 or more wins in a school-record third consecutive season.

Soccer: Espanyol fired manager Pablo Machin with the club last in the La Liga standings. Machin replaced David Gallego in October when the team was already struggling.