TBNL: CPBL contracts, Rays ticket prices reach new heights; LA signs another star

When it comes to international baseball, much of the focus is centered on the professional leagues in Japan (the NPB) and Korea (the KBO). The two leagues have substantially longer histories and boast more talent than pro leagues in other countries; there’s reason why they stand in a class entirely separate.

Arguably the “top league” of that next tier would be the CPBL, the Chinese Professional Baseball League. The name is a bit misleading (or controversial, depending on who you ask) considering the six-team league plays in Taiwan. This is different from the China National Baseball League, which exists in mainland China. The CPBL began play in 1990 and teams play a 120-game season. Similar to the NPB and KBO, each team is owned by a corporation included in the franchise’s name.

While many players with MLB or MiLB experience opt to take their careers overseas for financial reasons, most of those opportunities tend to come with the NPB and KBO. The leagues can offer better salaries, for one thing, but most of the appeal comes with the increased exposure — i.e. an improved chance that their performance will be noticed and might translate into another opportunity in MLB.

The CPBL does get its share of foreign-born players, though few are of the same caliber as those who pursue opportunities in the NPB or KBO. The CTBC Brothers, for instance, rostered a pair of pitchers last year in José De Paula, a former Padres and Yankees minor leaguer who made a single appearance in the majors for New York in 2015, and Shawn Morimando, who made a handful of MLB appearances with Cleveland in 2016 and Miami in 2021.

Steven Moya is a unique case. Moya received 133 plate appearances with the Tigers between 2014 and 2016, even briefly appearing on MLB.com’s top prospect rankings. He then went to Japan for four seasons, spent a year in the independent Atlantic League, made stops in the Mexican and Dominican Winter Leagues, and finally wound up with the TSG Hawks, where he led the CPBL in homers and OPS last season.

Yohander Méndez (20 appearances with the Rangers between 2016 and 2020 before spending the last two seasons in Japan) and Jonathan Bermúdez (6.2 IP with the Marlins last season) both signed in December to join the Uni Lions and Rakuten Monkeys, respectively, for the upcoming season.

Some Taiwanese players even return home when their MLB careers don’t pan out. Jen-Ho Tseng once looked like a promising prospect for the Cubs, after going a combined 13-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 24 starts between Double-A and Triple-A in 2017. He made just three appearances for the Cubs between 2017 and 2018 before returning to Taiwan after Covid canceled the 2020 minor league season, where he’s pitched for Rakuten Monkeys since 2021.

Yu Chang appeared in 235 games with Cleveland, Boston, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh across a five-year MLB career. The Rays released him from his minor league contract last July to let him pursue an opportunity in Taiwan and he’d join the Fubon Guardians for the remainder of the season — where he’d receive a hero’s welcome after his breakout performance for Chinese Taipei in the 2023 World Baseball Class.

The CPBL’s home run champion in two of the last three seasons is a catcher named Giljegilijaw Kungkaun. The former Cleveland prospect saw just under 1,500 plate appearances in the minor leagues between 2014 and 2019, reaching as high as Double-A, before landing with the Wei Chuan Dragons.

The Dragons made headlines just before Christmas, agreeing to a new 10-year contract with outfielder Tzu Hao Chen. The deal will pay the 29-year-old Chen NT$130M (roughly $3.95M in US dollars), making it the largest contract in CPBL history in both length and total value — surpassing the NT$92.5M deal that Chang had signed with the Guardians earlier last year.

Chen is a .288/.371/.468 hitter across his 12-year career in the CPBL with the Brothers, with 191 doubles and 131 home runs. His .870 OPS last season was second in the league only to Moya among players with at least 250 plate appearances (for context, Rafael Devers posted a .870 OPS last season which ranked 13th in MLB).

While the contract’s size is notable (there has never been a deal longer than five years in length in the league’s history), it also signifies a potential shift in the league’s structure. Historically, most players in CPBL history end up re-signing with their prior teams once they reach free agency. Only a handful have accepted offers from new clubs. The Dragons have now signed two players in free agency this winter away from their previous teams, with Chen joining outfielder Chu Yu-hsien, who agreed to a four-year deal earlier in December to leave the Monkeys.

Rays ticket prices increasing

Plenty of logistical questions are still facing the Tampa Bay Rays with their plans to spend the 2025 season playing at Tampa’s George Steinbrenner Field (home to the Yankees’ Class-A affiliate and spring training). Among the challenges the club is facing is how to handle season ticket holders from Tropicana Field.

The team knew that capacity would be a critical factor in these decisions; Tropicana Field can hold up to 25,025 fans (not counting the upper deck, which is typically closed off) while Steinbrenner Field has a maximum capacity of 11,026.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times examined the situation, speaking with a handful of season ticket holders, and found that the team’s price increases are not subtle. In one case a season ticket holder reported an increase of 38.8% from 2024 to 2025. With the added travel and changes to amenities at the stadium (including the fact that games will be played outdoors in the Florida summer heat and rain), the increases are leaving fans frustrated.

Topkin details how the Rays are approaching ticketing at Steinbrenner Field, laying out how the club is offering seats to existing season ticket holders on full-season plans first before shifting through other “tiers” of commitments. The more limited season ticket package holders are not even being offered comparable options. Even if the Rays sell out all 81 home games this coming season, they’re facing substantial loss in revenues from ticket sales (as well as merchandising, concessions, and other gameday-related revenue streams), which is believed to be a key reason for the price hikes.

The team hopes to keep a portion of individual game tickets available for sale to the general public in late March, but supply is expected to be limited.

Dodgers add more talent

There was surprisingly little fanfare when the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes posted infielder Hyeseong Kim in early December. Kim ranked at #26 on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents rankings entering the offseason and holds a .304/.364/.403 batting line over his 8-year career in Korea but is best known for his glove — having won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards (one at shortstop, three at second base) — and speed (211 career stolen bases).

Some scouts questioned how Kim’s bat will translate to MLB pitching, but even modest projections have him looking like a solid utility player. The virtual lack of public rumor about where Kim might land following the Heroes’ posting was a surprise. Nothing was known until his signing deadline (30 days from the date he was posted) arrived.

Los Angeles and Kim reached an agreement on a three-year, $12.5M deal. The Dodgers hold a team option that can extend the deal two more years for an additional $9.5M.

Curiously, the Dodgers appear intent on entering the season with Kim in a utility role. The team still plans to use Mookie Betts at shortstop and Gavin Lux at second base on most days, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

LA will pay Kiwoom a $2.5M release fee (20% of the $12.5M guarantee).

The Angels, Padres, Mariners, and Cubs also reportedly made offers to Kim. An early report suggested the Angels’ offer had actually been higher than that of the Dodgers (five years, $28M), but that was later refuted.

Elsewhere, around the league …

• Carlos Beltrán, who serves as the general manager for Puerto Rico’s national team, confirmed that Yadier Molina will return to manage the team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Molina’s staff will also include Carlos Delgado, Iván Rodríguez, Roberto Alomar, and Edgar Martinez. Molina led the country’s contingent in the 2023 WBC to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Mexico.

• Baltimore came into the offseason with a need for a frontline starter to lead their rotation. The obvious move would have been to re-sign Corbin Burnes but instead, the Orioles have been far more frugal this offseason. Baltimore has made a pair of pitching acquisitions, signing Tomoyuki Sugano out of Japan and now adding Charlie Morton this past week. Sugano, 35, and Morton, 41, will combine to make $28M this coming season. Burnes, who turned 30 in October, will get $30M from the Diamondbacks this year (though $10M of that is deferred to 2031).

• Sticking with veteran arms for a moment, the markets for 42-year-old Justin Verlander and 40-year-old Max Scherzer are starting to heat up. Each is likely looking for a one-year deal and reportedly has multiple teams showing interest.

• With pitching velocity and injuries continually on the rise, teams are looking for new ways to keep their pitchers healthy. Most amateur leagues and even the NPB operate with six-man rotations, allowing pitchers to typically make starts just once per week, and multiple MLB teams are now considering such a change.

• Recent offseasons have seen the Blue Jays make efforts to sign Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. This winter they’ve chased Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes. All four wound up signing elsewhere. The Jays continue to try to convince big-name free agents to come to Toronto and are falling short. Reports suggest they have an offer out to Anthony Santander, though terms are not known. Santander, the best remaining bat on the free agent market, is believed to be seeking a five-year deal worth $100M.

• Meanwhile, the Jays have yet to make any progress in extension talks with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Recommended reading

MLB legend Rickey Henderson passed away just before Christmas, following complications due to pneumonia and asthma. FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe took time to compose a proper salute to Henderson — a player he’d grown up watching — and it’s worth the time to read.