the American League All-Star Team. During the 2006 All-Star Game held on July 10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ryan pitched the scoreless eighth inning and earned the win for the American League. He finished the year with a career-high 38 saves, ranking third in the league behind Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Bobby Jenks of the Chicago White Sox. Ryan also finished with a career-low 1.37 ERA in 65 games. On May 10, 2007, the Blue Jays announced that Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery in his left elbow and would be out for the remainder of the 2007 season. Ryan's place in the bullpen was taken by Jeremy Accardo and Casey Janssen, with Accardo making the league minimum salary. On April 13, 2008, less than one year removed from Tommy John surgery, Ryan was activated from the disabled list. Later that afternoon, he entered the game in the 10th inning, and picked up his first save in over one year. Despite his arm not being fully healed and his slider's reduced effectiveness, he still managed to save an impressive 32 games for the Jays, placing sixth in the American League. He was also nominated for the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award. From his return to around a month later, he had an average ERA under 1.00. Despite eight years of solid health, some have criticized Ryan's mechanics as making him significantly more susceptible to injury. Ryan got off to slow start to the 2009 season due to his significant drop in velocity, which limited his effectiveness. On April 23, Ryan was placed on the 15-day DL with problems in his throwing shoulder, more specifically a strained trapezius muscle. When he was activated from the DL, he was used as a middle reliever. The closing job went to Scott Downs. On July 8, 2009, Ryan was released by the Blue Jays. At the time of his release, the Blue Jays were still responsible for the roughly $5 million remaining on his contract for the remainder of 2009, as well as the $10 million he was owed for 2010. Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi was widely criticized for the Ryan contract. Chicago Cubs On July 16, 2009, eight days after being released by the Blue Jays, the Chicago Cubs came to an agreement with Ryan. After working out at the Cubs' Arizona Spring Training facility,