The Dodgers have won the rights to Korean left-handed starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu with a bid of $25.7 million, according to Mike Petriello.

Earlier today, I linked to a summary of thoughts on Hyun Jin Ryu, which ranged from preferring him as a reliever to comparisons to David Wells, though the latter was primarily on the basis of his body type.

A 25-year-old Tommy John survivor, the Dodgers have to be expecting him to start, and reports have him sitting between 87-92 mph with two solid average breaking balls in a curve and a slider, and a plus out-pitch in his change-up. Even the reports that like him pencil him in as a #4 or #5 type, but the Dodgers will end up paying him like a #3, and I think his profile could reach that status as he adjusts to the league.

Given that Scott Boras is his agent, this is only the start of things, as he figures to get a lot more expensive than this. Honestly, I’m not sure anybody expected his bidding price to go this high, but given the free agent market and trade scenarios, I suppose the Dodgers preferred this option over the rest.