Notebook Toronto’s new ace understands burden
Toronto’s Hyun-Jin Ryu is now the clear ace of a major league rotation — with all the pressure and responsibility that comes with that.
“We win games by having all the players put in their efforts,” Ryu said through a translator Thursday. “At the same time, I do realize the expectation and the weight that comes with this kind of contract and what the Blue Jays wanted, and I know exactly what the Blue Jays want from me.”
What Toronto needs is some stability in its rotation. The Blue Jays used 21 different starters last year, then made several additions in the offseason. Ryu was the most prominent acquisition, signing a four-year, $80 million contract after finishing second in the National League Cy Young Award vote with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ryu was the only NL pitcher to receive a firstplace vote for the Cy Young besides winner Jacob deGrom. After Ryu went 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA last season, he made only one appearance for the Dodgers in their five-game loss against Washington in the Division Series.
Ryu, who turns 33 in March, was 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts in 2018 while limited by groin problems and accepted a $17.9 million qualifying offer to stay with Los Angeles for 2019. Last year, he made 29 starts and pitched 182⅔ innings, his highest totals since 2013.
Dodgers
Los Angeles will pay pitcher Kenta Maeda’s $1 million assignment bonus as part of the trade that sent him to Minnesota. The Dodgers also agreed to pay the Twins $3 million to cover part of Maeda’s salary and reimburse Minnesota for up to $7 million of his earned bonuses. Minnesota acquired Maeda and catcher Jair Camargo Monday for right -hander Brusdar Graterol, outfielder Luke Raley and the Twins’ competitive balance round B pick in this year’s amateur draft.
Red Sox
Boston defeated pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez in salary arbitration Thursday, improving teams to 5-1 this year. Rodríguez will earn $8.3 million rather than his request for $8,975,000. Rodríguez, a left-hander. was a career-best 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 34 starts last season.