Twins Reportedly Interested in Free Agent Pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu

Hyun-Jin Ryu had a fantastic season for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, going pitch-for-pitch with Jacob deGrom for the NL Cy Young until the final month of the season.

Now, he's looking for a humongous payday this offseason, and the Minnesota Twins are reportedly willing to make a splash in exchange for his highly-touted services.

Ryu went 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 182.2 innings, as well as 1.183 walks per nine innings ratio, lowest in the MLB. There's a reason he came in second in the aforementioned Cy Young race, as he had a stellar year.

Ryu signed with the Dodgers in December of 2012 after pitching for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League in South Korea. Since then, he's proved to be a reliable arm in the middle of the rotation, often slotted behind Clayton Kershaw and the likes of Zack Greinke and Walker Buehler.

Meanwhile, the Twins are coming off a 101-win season but are looking to bolster their rotation in order to compete deeper in the playoffs after a quick ALDS exit at the hands of the Yankees.

The top of the Twins' rotation consists of Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda. That's solid, but it's not enough to get the Twins through a playoff series.

If the Twins make successful move for Ryu, they'll instantly gain another solid starter who, along with Berrios, could pack a potent one-two punch atop their rotation. Only then will the Twins have a realistic chance at advancing past the ALDS for the first time since 2002.