Dodgers Letting Hyun-Jin Ryu Walk Looks Terrible if There Isn't Another Move Coming

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been rather dormant this offseason, following a season that saw the team bounced from the NLDS by an upstart Nationals team.

With all the talk of potential blockbuster moves from the team, there hasn't been any real action on that front (to this point). Sunday night, the team officially lost longtime starter and NL Cy Young contender Hyun-Jin Ryu to the Toronto Blue Jays, a huge loss considering Ryu was the team's best pitcher last season.

With Ryu's exit, the Dodgers are in desperate need of a counter-punch to offset the loss of the NL Cy Young runner-up. After all the speculation surrounding this vital off-season for the team, the biggest move they have made thus far is signing reliever Blake Treinen. So, how exactly are they going to stop their annual contender from running off the tracks again?

It's unlikely that the Dodgers were out-bid in the Ryu sweepstakes (they've got all the cash in thenworld), so fans had better hope the decision to let their reliable lefty go must have some correlation to the team's pursuit of a new superstar. With reports that the team is in talks with the Cleveland Indians about shortstop Francisco Lindor, as well as pitcher Mike Clevinger, and the Red Sox regarding Mookie Betts, the team may very well be looking to free up some money to re-sign whichever superstar they are able to poach.

If the team is unable to parlay the loss of Ryu into a blockbuster deal, this could go down as one of the most terribly botched offseasons for a team eternally on the cusp in recent MLB history. With a host of movable pieces, a never-ending crop of top-tier prospects, and disposable funds that can only be rivaled by the Yankees themselves, the Dodgers have all the tools to pull off a major trade this offseason. A failure to do so at this point could be devastating for the organization.

At some point, after coming so close year after year, you have to stomp on some throats, after all.