SATURDAY: The Dodgers have officially announced that they’ve released Ruf, clearing the way for him to head to Korea.
FRIDAY 9:12am: The Lions have already announced the move, as Jee-ho Yoo of Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reports. Ruf will earn $1.1MM in 2017 — a significant step up from what he’d have earned in the Majors or minors.
8:59am: The Dodgers have sold the contractual rights of infielder Darin Ruf to the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for the Dodgers, which will go to either Franklin Gutierrez or Chase Utley. (The Dodgers still need to make one more 40-man move to open another spot.)
The 30-year-old Ruf was one of two players that the Dodgers picked up when sending Howie Kendrick to the Phillies this offseason, though that move was more about clearing payroll and a spot on the 25-man roster than anything else. (Darnell Sweeney also came back to the Dodgers in that deal.)
Ruf saw just 89 plate appearances in the Majors last season, hitting .205/.236/.337 in that time. The first baseman/outfielder spent the better part of five seasons on the fringes of the Phillies’ roster, often serving as a right-handed complement to Ryan Howard. In 833 Major League plate appearances, he’s a .240/.314/.433 hitter with 35 home runs.
The move to Korea likely works out well for all parties, as the Dodgers will free a roster spot (and receive a fairly nominal sum from the Lions), while the Lions add a new bat to their lineup. Ruf, meanwhile, should earn considerably more than he’d have earned in the United States playing over in Korea. He was a long shot to make the Dodgers’ roster, and even if he had, he’d have made only a bit more than the Major League minimum as a pre-arbitration player. Foreign players in Korea can often earn salaries in the upper six figures, if not seven figures, and it stands to reason that Ruf will benefit financially from the move.
This is actually kind of a surprising move
Why? He was going to be this year’s surprise Dodgers bench bat
They have plenty of other bats. This helps them out since they had/have a glut.
He’s out of options and was about to get designated
Ruf, Gutierrez, & SVS are redundant.
It seems odd that they can trade you to Japan.
If a beer league team saved up enough money, could they have bought Darin Ruf’s contract?
Korea, not Japan.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I would think that for this to happen the player would have to agree. There no way the players union would allow for a player to be shipped to another country without their consent.
Ruf absolutely gave his consent. The Lions likely expressed interest, and contacted both the Dodgers and Ruf’s agents to see if an arrangement could be worked out.
Ruf is going to earn $1.1MM in 2017, whereas he’d probably have been outrighted and earned a minor league salary had he stayed in America.
A seven-figure salary for a player in his situation is extremely appealing.
If a beer leauge could raise 1 million im sure he would have taken it
This has precedence in Springfield.
Nice reference
I am just surprised since 1st base is where the Dodgers lack depth the most in my opinion and could be a good bench bat. I would rather have Ruf than Gutierez or Utley anyways. The Dodgers already have enough outfielders so signing Guterez was pointless and they have Hernandez and Chris Taylor who could have filled Utleys role so I don’t know what the Dodgers are up to. A bench of Barns Ruf Hernandez Toels and one of the many other outfielders that they have on their roster. I just think that the Dodgers messed up this offseason and should have only brought back Turner and Janson Brought in Forsyth and signed Romo and trade away Ruiz. Other than that they didn’t need to do anything. Especially for a team that needs to cut payroll.
That’s a little short sided thinking. First they have close to 60 mill coming off the books at the end of the year, which was the idea behind the natural progression of cutting payroll. Second 1st base really isn’t the position of spectacular need in the organization. They have in order Forsythe, SVS, Bellinger, Segedin, Dickson, Davis all who can all play 1st if needed. With quite possibly many options on the trade market to fill that need if a need were to arise and they felt Bellinger wasn’t quite ready. Plus Ruf was essentially limited to 1st. His only value lied in the short side of platoon which if you ask me is a waste of a roster spot, especially for a 1b only.
Ike davis, cody bellinger, van slyke , forsythe, utley all better 1B options then ruf.
Forsythe and Utley can both play first. Verdugo and Bellinger are on the way, as well as Van Slyke. I might be making this up, but I think Joc even played first at one point. Grandal also has some time at first. But with the way things go sometimes, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see A-Gon go down with an injury and them regret trading Ruf.
He’s the type of player to hit 45 home runs overseas and then get a major league contract just to disappoint.
Like Eric Thames?
I’m always very interested in these types of cases to know whether the player had a say in his contract being sold to a team in another country like that. I understand he’s getting a pretty decent pay raise and more playing time likely by going. However, I personally would be really mad if I were in that situation. I don’t care how much money you’re throwing at me to go, I wouldn’t want to go. I have zero interest (actually negative interest) in living in a foreign country period. I’d rather slave away in the minors making the minimum or have to give up baseball entirely than to do that.
Yes they have to approve a move that’s why Segedin wasn’t sold. Segedin nixed a move early in the offseason.
Ahh, well that’s good to hear.
Segedin just had a baby, and he played well enough to get a MLB opportunity with another team. Not suprised he refused
Oh yeah I know that part and I don’t blame him at all. I was just giving an example.
I always get mad too, when someone offers me a lot more money for the opportunity to use my skills in a new place and learn new things and be an important member of a team that really wants me.
I hope xenophobia isn’t contagious.
When you can’t come up with anyone else, use some social buzzword to insult them.
I wouldn’t want to live in another country. Not because I’m a xenophobe, but because I have family here. I have a job here. I know the culture. I know the language.
I didn’t realize wanting to fulfill needs that are important to someone makes them a bad person. I’ll adjust accordingly and pack my bags for that job in Turkmenistan.
Exactly! Thank you!
Well Ruf didn’t have a job here, at least not on the Dodgers. So you wouldn’t want a huge pay raise while living in luxury and being not only one of the most valuable player on your team (something Ruf probably hasn’t experienced since high school ball) just because you’d have to live in a foreign country for a year? You’re right that’s not xenophobia that’s just plain stupid.
Oh and if he hates it there he could ask to be released and come home. My guess he’ll love actually being a fan favorite for once in his career.
Different strokes for different folks.
For some, the prospect of being far away from family, of living overseas, or just a different atmosphere from what they’re used to is harrowing.
But to insult someone because they have preferences is childish at the highest level.
As far as the language barrier goes, if you’ve ever been overseas to a big city you’ll figure out quite quickly that basically everyone speaks English. almost every country does a way better job at bilingual education than we do, usually starting around age 10.
Triple-A vets might make 50k a year. 1.1 million is a lot more than 50 thousand.
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language? An American.
Or an Aussie. Or a Kiwi. Or people in predominantly English speaking countries.
Australians and New Zealanders both have intensive bilingual education starting at an early age.
Well I’m glad moving to a new country wouldn’t bother you. Some people just like it where they’re at though and have no interest in that changing. That doesn’t make me bad or dumb or a negative person. I just really like it here. Honestly, there plenty of places inside the US that I would have no interest in living as well. What I really love is when people who claim to be so open minded are really so judgmental.
I stand duly castigated.
Thank you all for the valuable reminder.
Yeah There is no way the MLBPA would allow this kind of transaction without the player’s consent.
I know everybody has there own reasons, but for $500k-$1 million extra dollars to do my same job I would give most places 7 months to check it out. It would be pretty cool to immerse yourself in a completely new culture as well, especially knowing that it is short lived if you don’t like it.
How’s Korean food, anyways?
Koreans seem to like it!
This is weird. Dodgers seem to have too many pieces. I wish they had a team.
It’s all part of the facade, depth is the new version of “We have no idea “
Ruf will probably lead the league in homeruns playing in the KBO
Van Slyke is probably breathing a bit easier today. He looked like the expendable piece with Ruf in the picture.
I think knowing he has an option he wasn’t worried in the least.
Pretty sure he’d rather play in the majors. He now has one fewer competitor for his roster spot.
I was a little surprised too, but I can understand Ruf agreeing to a deal that guarantees him twice as much as the major league minimum, plus he gets to start rather than battle for a bench spot. Van Slyke was hurt last year and wasn’t particularly great the year before but he can probably still mash a lefty. A-Gon seems to be declining against left-handers rapidly.
I don’t know if Roberts would be brave enough to platoon Gonzalez, but if he did that would give Van Slyke at least 150+ at-bats. Given the Dodgers struggles against left-handers last season a platoon would seem to be the way to go.
Man last year i was so excited they brought back howie. Now its not even close the compensation pick would have been better then the package they got for him
He just wasn’t what we needed him to be. Father Time…
I’m not sure he was going to net them a comp pick it appears him only true suitors were the Dodgers. Mainly because of the comp pick attached.
It that was true his contact was a ludicrous overpay.
One outfielder down, 37 to go
Way you actually counted him as an OF?
Glad for Ruf. It seemed like he never got a fair, extended look after going bananas in AA a couple years back. His power is unquestioned despite his other flaws. I believe he will be great overseas. Perhaps he can even come back in a couple years and get a few million.
It is true that Ruf never got a fair chance from the Phillies. The Phillies were and remain clueless. Ruf is a very fine defensive first baseman and capable of 25-35 home runs and a .270 to .310 BA if playing every day. So there are no teams that could use a guy like that in their lineup? Really ? Ruf was never given more than 251 at bats in a season above triple A. and last year was the first season he got more than 300 at bats above AA. He always seems to get blocked by someone. He can hit and he can field. His only short coming is he lacks speed, but that is the case for many a power hitter. I hope he gets to show what he can do as an every day first baseman for once.