Houston Astros: Team should have Hyun-Jin Ryu at the top of their hit list

The Houston Astros will need at least one — possibly two — starters for the upcoming season and Hyun-Jin Ryu should be at the top of their list. Why?

Houston Astros fans — we’ve just a few more weeks to go before the Winter Meetings in San Diego where there will be a plethora of deals to get done and hopefully the franchise will be able to address their needs during that ballyhooed week.

As you know, this team is pretty damn good from top to bottom and there are very little holes to fill in order to be competitive for 2020. But it’s the fact that those holes are gaping which certainly alludes to the team needing to address plugging them before the start of the season.

It’s obviously clear that the team must go out and bring in at least two catchers — if Robinson Chirinos is unable to be re-signed — and they’ll also need to bring in at least two starters, especially if Gerrit Cole is not going to re-sign. That’s likely as I’m sure he’s looking for a medium between a maximum-allowable payday on a team that has a shot at winning a lot of baseball games.

That sounds like a job for the Los Angeles Angels who don’t shy away for shelling out the cash for flashy names and Cole is none the exception. We’ll have to keep an eye out on if that happens but let’s get back to the business of putting this future team together.

With Cole likely being on the way out, options must be presented to replace him. The Houston Astros have already expressed a desire to bring Zack Wheeler into the fold but another option should lurk in the bowels of the Houston Astros‘ collective soul.

I honestly think that the franchise should target the services of one Hyun-Jin Ryu, who’s one damn good pitcher and I think would be a great fit for what the Houston Astros do.

He’s one of the hottest free agents on the market but the Houston Astros won’t have to pay him like they would have to with Cole.

Ryu can get the job done but what complicates things is that Scott Boras represents both players which would make things be awkward if they’re directly negotiating the services of both his clients.

And do you know what I say to that? I don’t give a damn. These are grown men and they can handle the nuances of the baseball business. If talks with Boras can land either of those guys, I’d be extremely pleased.

Ryu, who earned the first All-Star nod of his career, was rolling last season and I think that the 32-

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year-old can continue that impressive streak for years to come.

I could imagine that Houston Astros could get Ryu for $20 million per season in a five-year, $100 million deal which would be a far cry from Cole’s potential deal being closer to $250 million guaranteed over a period of time.

If that’s what Ryu will cost, it’s time to print and sign that check Jim Crane!

Ryu was runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting, was ranked 8th among pitchers in WAR (5.1),

first in ERA (2.32), third in WHIP (1.01), 2nd in K/BB (6.792), 2nd in HR/9 (0.838) and 4th in FIP (3.10).

His list of accolades goes on and I think he’d be a sound investment for the Houston Astros. He’ll be able to get the job done with his change-up and four-seam fastball which are his calling cards at that sit at about 80 miles per hour and the low 90s respectively.

So I urge the Houston Astros to pursue this guy as you need another ace to get things done and Ryu embodies every bit of being something great.

Next. Astros should aggressively target Jason Castro. dark

Let’s get it done — go Houston Astros!

Ryu posted a 14-5 record while tossing 163 strikeouts to 47 earned runs through 182.2 innings pitched in 29 starts last season.

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