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“Hanwha Eagles is a team I am grateful to for helping me become who I am today.”

Ryu Hyun-jin (37), who returned to his former team Hanwha after 12 years, showed special affection and revealed the reason why he decided to return to Korea.

On the 22nd, Hanwha announced that it had signed a contract with Ryu Hyun-jin for a total of 17 billion won and an 8-year contract period. It is a contract that includes an opt-out that allows him to cancel the remainder of his contract and become a free agent (FA), and the details of the opt-out will not be disclosed under agreement between both parties.

Hanwha decided to actively woo Hyun-jin Ryu, who was contemplating whether to remain in the Major League (MLB) or return to Korea after becoming a free agent after his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays expired at the end of the 2023 season, offering the highest treatment ever. succeeded in bringing it down.

The previous highest amount was 15.2 billion won (4+2 years) recorded when catcher Yang Eui-ji signed a free agent contract with the Doosan Bears after the 2022 season. Previously, Gwang-Hyun Kim returned to SSG Landers after playing in MLB in 2020-2021 and signed a four-year contract worth a total of 15.1 billion won.

If Ryu Hyun-jin completes the eight-year contract period, he will wear the Hanwha uniform until he is 44 years old. In this case, Song Jin-woo will break the KBO League's oldest game appearance record of 43 years, 7 months, and 7 days, which he set in 2009.

After signing the contract, Ryu Hyun-jin said through the club, “Due to various circumstances, such as the overall slow movement of the free agent contract market in the United States, we are delivering the news of the return to the league a little late.”

He then explained the background to his decision to return to Korea, saying, “I was worried about the timing of my return to Hanwha, but I came to the conclusion that it was right to join as soon as possible when I judged that I had enough skills.”

Ryu Hyun-jin said, “Hanwha is a team I am grateful to for helping me become who I am today. From the moment I entered the MLB, I thought I would return to Hanwha and repay the favor. “I watched Hanwha every year in the U.S. and dreamed of one day joining them,” he said. “I’m happy to keep my promise now.” “I am truly happy and excited to be back,” he emphasized.

Regarding the 8-year contract period, he said, “As you have been treated well, I will do my best to create new records and history by working as a member of Hanwha again.”

In addition to this contract, the Hanwha club signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ryu Hyun-jin Foundation and decided to jointly carry out social contribution activities such as youth baseball development.

Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I will try to have a positive influence on the team with the mindset of repaying the fans who have always supported and looked forward to me.”

With the addition of Ryu Hyun-jin, Hanwha has the league's top starting lineup. The 1st to 4th starters, consisting of Ryu Hyun-jin, Moon Dong-ju, Felix Peña, and Ricardo Sánchez, are solid.

Hanwha, which has built a solid starting lineup, can now dream of finishing in the top 5 or higher.

Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I think our team has the potential to achieve good results thanks to the reinforcement of our power and the growth of our young players. “I will work hard with my teammates so that we can show baseball to our fans for as long as possible this season,” he pledged. 고스톱