The Rays announced Thursday morning that they have claimed infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Pirates. The Bucs designated him for assignment last month. Tampa had an open spot on the 40-man roster and didn’t need to make a corresponding move.
Cheng, 24, changes teams for the first time in his career. The Pirates signed him as an international amateur out of Taiwan in 2019. By the end of the 2023 season, he had climbed to Double-A. He found some offensive success with a low-power, low-strikeout approach. He was also considered a solid defender at either middle infield spot and showed a knack for stealing bases. Splitting 2023 between High-A and Double-A, he hit 13 home runs, swiped 26 bags, had a 9.7% walk rate and 18.7% strikeout rate. He slashed .278/.352/.456 for a 116 wRC+.
The total package was enough that the Bucs added him to their 40-man roster that November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His offense declined over the past two years, with a combined .217/.319/.312 line and 81 wRC+. He drew walks at a strong 12.2% clip in that time but was also punched out in 23.8% of his plate appearances. He got to make his major league debut last year but went hitless in seven plate appearances with three strikeouts.
The Pirates bumped him off their roster December 19th. DFA limbo normally only lasts a week but there’s more wiggle room over the holidays, so Cheng was out there for almost three weeks. The Rays are a good landing spot for him, as their middle infield is pretty unsettled. They traded second baseman Brandon Lowe to the Pirates last month, the deal which led to Cheng losing his roster spot with Pittsburgh. Ha-Seong Kim was put on waivers late last year and claimed by Atlanta. He opted out of that deal but wound up re-signing with Atlanta.
Taylor Walls is perhaps the favorite for shortstop right now but he has a career batting line of .195/.286/.298. Carson Williams made his debut last year but struck out in 41.5% of his first 106 big league plate appearances. Richie Palacios might be the frontrunner at second base but he is a wild card as he has been injured for most of the past two years.
The club may make further moves between now and Opening Day but there’s a path to playing time for Cheng if he can earn it. He still has an option remaining, so the Rays can send him to Triple-A as depth if they don’t need him in the big leagues or prefer him to get regular reps. He has just ten big league service days, so he can be cheaply retained for the foreseeable future if he’s able to carve out a role in Tampa.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Would love to know what the Rays see in him. Wasn’t sad to see him go from Pittsburgh and would have expected him to end up on a less savvy team…
Depth piece, TB is very thin at the mlb and AAA level with middle infielders, since last year the lost Kim, B Lowe, Gray, Murray, etc…
All they see is someone who is cheap and can play 2B. Anything more is gravy on top.
Sandlot,
No offense, but less savvy than the Pirates?
I mean the Rays are savvier than the Pirates. They’re savvier than most FOs.
sandlot, I would have agreed with you even three years ago. but is this still the case? the last two years have been pathetic, and it doesn’t look much brighter going forward.
Which is why the Dodgers new ownership poached their best FO guy when they took over years ago. It’s worked out.
Just kind the Rockies got one of the Dodgers main FO guys. I expect to see them making better moves and seriously competing in five or so years. They’ll get the farm system right first.
he’s cheap. all you need to know.
At least the Rays sorta get another player in that deal. I felt like they came up the shortest tbh.
yeah they got another player. A strikeout machine player
Lowe had one more year of control when the Rays traded him to the Pirates. Sure they also gave up Montgomery ( Lefty reliever ) and Mangum but they got back a potential number 2-3 starter who might flash number 1 stuff ( if they can harness and teach him to control his pitches ) and the Rays also got a younger version of Mangum in Melton.
So explain to me how you think the Rays got the short end of the stick with this trade?
But before you do, let’s have the Pirates get a full season out of Lowe, which if mostly healthy will look something like this : .254 25-35homers 58-72rbi with an obp of about .320-.335.
Or…. If not mostly healthy will equate to what the Rays could get out of a triple A player for 1/10th of the money spent.
In either event, in 2026 Lowe is going to be seeking 3-5 years at 20plus million a year.
Mangum is a good player. Put him in Yankee Stadium and he is the next Brett Gardner, who will all of a sudden be capable of hitting 30 homer runs.
But he is going to be a career .280 hitter who steals an avg of 15/20 bases a year ( over entire career ) which will consist of about 4/5 more year at max because of his age. He is either the third outfielder on a team that has enough power in their lineup within the infield or the fourth outfielder on a team that doesn’t have enough power in the lineup in the infield.
In either event, he’s a good player for sure, but I would take Melton over him if I were the Rays because the Rays won’t be competing with the other teams in the AL east for a few years, they are useful rebuilding, seeking a new stadium and are all about the future.
Montgomery was just a bullpen piece that’s replaceable…
So you know what!!? Forget waiting til after we see what Lowe does in 2026 for the Pirates… right now tell me how the Rays got the short end of the stick with the trade?
I just think the Rays have a track record of crushing trades with a few exceptions over the years, so If the Rays don’t see to be crushing a trade and it’s more equal, all of a sudden we think they’re losing the trade.
This was an equal trade and each team got what they needed from the deal. I like it for all teams and I love when that happens in a trade, especially a three teamer.. when you can say all teams did right by the trade and improved, you can feel good about a deal.
Thanks for the essay James Michener
He went into detail and made sense unlike the last 2 80yo Presidents.
Jeez please I’m not reading all that. The short of it?
Rays gave up 3 very good players who already have shown they can play in MLB. They received 2 high upside prospects who haven’t yet, so that return needs the most tempering.
Astros got Burrows, who’s a very good pitcher for those two prospects, and helped their rotation immediately.
Pirates bolstered their MLB roster immensely and only gave up Burrows.
To me, the Pirates, won that one with the most impact for their club. I don’t discount what Lowe can do at all, and I really like what both Mangum and Montgomery bring, the latter who is not just a BP piece.
Anyhoo, yes who knows how it all shakes out, but for now that is my opinion of it.
Really solid and juicy signing, he literally batted 000. last year. If he can bring that up to like, 105. with an OBP of at least 050. this is considered a big time steal.
This feels like the most Rays move ever. He is gonna somehow end up starting this team
Now you’re speaking my Chenguage
At least his minor league batting average is better than Walls’ career average.
Everybody Cheng Tsung tonight.
Every Rays fan have fun tonight?
More AAA roster filler that will hit 195 with 1 hr in 400 ab’s in Durham
Shang Tsung remains available.
Kung Lao’s a better hitter
Neither could compete with prime Rae Dawn Chong…
A’s missed another trick here. Take a flyer on a young second baseman on the cheap in case Gelof keeps getting injured
Until last year Cheng was a decent prospect with good leather and wheels. He was totally overmatched with the bat in his short time in mlb. If the Rays can correct that they would have a cheap middle infielder. Worth a shot.
The Bucs dropped him as part of the Lowe trade. Why didn’t they just send him to Tampa as part of that?
he’s had a rough few years but I thought he showed some good promise as a potential 2B option prior to that. has a pretty strong plate approach too. still ‘only’ 24, so feels like someone who could maybe be at least a useful bench piece at some point