Major League side bids $25 mn for Korea's Ryu

Hanwha Eagles on Saturday announced they had accepted a bid worth more than $25 million from an unidentified Major League team for South Korea's top left-handed starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin. "We've decided to accept the highest posting fee worth $25,737,737.33," the Eagles said on its official website. "We believe this figure is acceptable for the rights to the top ace in South Korea," it said. The winning team will now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Ryu through agent Scott Boras. Given the contract is worked out, the Eagles will then receive the posting fee. Ryu's posting fee is reportedly the third largest ever, following Japanese pitchers Yu Darvish's worth $51.7 million and Daisuke Matsuzaka's worth $51.1 million. "I've made a step forward for a dream come true," Ryu was quoted as saying on the Eagles website. "I will make every effort in order to ensure that my challenge will serve as a source of energy for the Korean people, especially for children." Ryu, 25, is not a hard-thrower with a fastball of between the high 80-mph and the low-90 mph (128-144 kph) but he has a good command and an excellent changeup.