Guardians’ reliever Tseng eyes MLB

ON THE CLOCK: The negotiation time for Tseng, who is looking to sign as a free agent in MLB for the second time, could be cut short if the league locks out players

Reliever Tseng Jyun-yue of the Fubon Guardians has entered MLB’s posting system and is available to teams to sign as a free agent until Dec. 22.

A 25-year-old right-hander, Tseng was 5-3 with 25 saves in 48 games this year in the CPBL. He struck out 65 and walked 13 over 52-1/3 innings.

He pitched this year in his second World Baseball Classic, throwing hitless innings against South Korea and the Czech Republic and getting one save.

Taiwanese closer Tseng Jyun-yue pitches against the Czech Republic in their World Baseball Classic game in Tokyo on March 7.

Photo: AP

Against South Korea, he averaged 93.7mph (150.8kph) with his four-seam fastball and also threw cutters.

Tseng played in the 2014 Little League World Series and was the CPBL 2021 Rookie of the Year.

Under an agreement with the CPBL, the posting fee would be 20 percent of the first US$25 million of a major league contract. The percentage drops to 17.5 percent of the next US$25 million and 15 percent of any amount exceeding US$50 million. There would be a supplemental fee of 15 percent of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.

For a minor league contract, the posting fee would be 25% of the signing bonus. If the deal includes major league terms if selected to the 40-man roster, there would be a supplemental fee of 15 percent of any earnings under the major league terms.

However, MLB is likely to lock out the Major League Baseball Players Association when their collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, which might cut short the negotiating period.

If Tseng, who previously attempted to post as a free agent in the majors in 2023, is signed, he would become the first CPBL player to make the move to MLB through the posting system since the leagues signed the agreement in March 2019, according to the Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times).

Speaking to reporters at a Guardians fan appreciation event on Oct. 31, Tseng said that successfully moving into bigger leagues abroad could inspire the next generation of players, and benefit the CPBL and local teams, the Liberty Times reported.

The Bleacher Report’s Paul Kasabian reported that the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers have shown interest in Tseng.

The Pirates have had 15 Taiwanese in their system since 2009. Most notable in the past few years is Cheng Tsung-che, who became the 18th MLB player from Taiwan when he took the field for Pittsburgh last year. He went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, before he was picked up by the Detroit Tigers late last month, joining Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu.

For the Cubs, Tseng could be a low-cost developmental play, Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation said.