Blue Jays announce 4-year deal with Ryu

The Blue Jays have signed left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu to a four-year, $80 million contract, the club announced Friday. The deal includes a limited no-trade clause with no opt-outs, sources told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez and Mark Feinsand. The club will introduce Ryu in a news conference at 4:30 p.m ET Friday at Rogers Centre.

The addition of the 32-year-old left-hander -- who finished second behind Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom in the National League Cy Young Award voting after posting a Major League-leading 2.32 ERA over 29 starts for the Dodgers in 2019 -- offers an ace to a rotation that recently added Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson.

Ryu’s contract is the third-largest in total value in franchise history, behind Russell Martin’s five-year, $82 million deal (2014) and Vernon Wells’ seven-year $126 million extension (2006).

Toronto has a promising crop of young position players but had been looking for an accomplished starter to lead its rotation. Ryu should fill that void in 2020 and beyond, provided he can stay healthy. The left-hander made just 41 appearances (40 starts) from 2015-18, as he was hampered by persistent injuries.

Ryu was a free agent in each of the last two years. He accepted the Dodgers' qualifying offer last offseason, returning to the club for $17.9 million on a one-year deal. That decision ended up working out well for the veteran southpaw, who was ineligible for the QO this time around and thus had no Draft compensation tied to him.

Ryu, a native of South Korea, pitched seven seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization before joining the Dodgers in December 2012. He owns a lifetime 2.98 ERA (129 ERA+) over 126 appearances (125 starts) in the big leagues.