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Yankees Release Brandon Leibrandt To Sign In CPBL

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The Yankees announced that they have released left-hander Brandon Leibrandt to sign with the CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. That move was previously reported by CPBL Stats.

Leibrandt, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the offseason. He logged 41 Triple-A innings over nine starts and one long relief outing, allowing 2.85 earned runs per nine. He probably got a bit of help from his .245 batting average on balls in play and 87.8% strand rate, but his 22.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate were both solid figures while his 50.5% ground ball rate was quite strong.

Despite that cromulent performance, his path to big league playing time in the Bronx was steep. Despite several injuries, the Yankee rotation is in decent shape. They have Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough. They could get Marcus Stroman and JT Brubaker back soon, as both are on rehab assignments. Luis Gil is tossing bullpens and could be on his own rehab assignment in the coming weeks.

Leibrandt was therefore likely to be stuck in the minors but will head overseas instead. Presumably, he’ll be getting a bit of a pay bump while being able to explore the other side of the globe. It’s also possible that he could be exposed to scouts from other Asian leagues and earn himself future opportunities if he performs well. His major league track record currently consists of 15 1/3 innings with a 5.28 ERA.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Felix Pena Signs With CPBL’s Uni-Lions

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Right-hander Felix Pena has signed on with the Uni-Lions of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (h/t to CPBL Stats).

Pena, 35 later this month, signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic as an international amateur and made his pro debut all the way back in 2009. He gradually climbed the minor league ladder until he made his MLB debut back in 2016, when he debuted for Chicago and pitched decently in a brief cup of coffee at the big league level. The right-hander posted a 4.00 ERA (108 ERA+) in nine innings that season, striking out 37.1% of opponents in his limited playing time at the major league level en route to a 2.70 FIP. He was used in a similarly minor role with the Cubs in 2017, but that second trip to the majors left something to be desired in terms of results as he posted a lackluster 5.24 ERA (84 ERA+) in 34 1/3 innings of work thanks in part to a bloated 11.6% walk rate.

Those struggles in 2017 led the Cubs to designate Pena for assignment shortly after the 2017 season came to a close. He shipped to the Angels shortly thereafter, and wound up pitching for his new club as a starting pitcher for much of the 2018 season. His results were decent enough, as well: in 92 2/3 innings of work split between 17 starts and two relief outings, Pena surrendered a 4.18 ERA (101 ERA+) with a 4.04 FIP. He struck out a decent 21.9% of opponents and, more importantly, got his walk rate under control and allowed free passes at a 7.2% clip. That appeared to set Pena up for a crack at a full-season rotation job with the Halos in 2019, and he was part of the club’s Opening Day rotation at the beginning of the year.

Unfortunately for Pena, however, his first four starts of the 2019 season left much to be desired. While his 4.15 ERA was decent enough, Pena allowed four homers, surrendered seven walks, and hit three batters in just 17 1/3 innings of work while his strikeout rate dipped to 19.2%. That led the Angels to move him into a bulk role behind an opener, and he initially excelled in the role with a 3.03 ERA and 3.18 FIP over his next seven outings where he struck out 28.5% of opponents in 32 2/3 frames. Things took a turn for the worse during a disastrous month of June, however, as his issues with the long ball resurfaced and he posted a ghastly 7.97 ERA in five appearances totaling 20 1/3 innings. He pitched better (4.15 ERA, 3.48 FIP) once the calendar flipped to July and even played a key role in a combined no-hitter against the Mariners but saw his season cut short by a torn ACL.

By the time baseball resumed in late July of 2020 after the pandemic shutdown, Pena had recovered from his ACL tear and was back on the mound with the Angels. He was confined to a short relief role in 2020 but made the most of the role, posting a 4.05 ERA (113 ERA+) in 26 2/3 innings with excellent peripheral numbers including a 3.00 FIP and a 25.2% strikeout rate against a 7% walk rate. That performance figured to earn Pena another shot with the Angels in 2021, but a hamstring strain delayed his start to the season and he was torched to the tune of seven runs in less than two innings of work upon his return, prompting the Angels to outright him to the minor leagues.

That was Pena’s last time appearing in the majors. After struggling badly at Triple-A through the remainder of the 2021 season, the right-hander began the 2022 season with the Mets on a minor league deal but eventually headed overseas to sign with the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles. He spent parts of three seasons with the Eagles, posting a 3.98 ERA in 54 starts for the club, but struggled to a 6.27 ERA in his final nine KBO starts earlier this year. That prompted Hanwha to release Pena back in May, but now he’ll get a fresh start in Taiwan where he can provide veteran innings to a club that employed former big leaguers Hector Perez and Logan Ondrusek last season.

Beau Sulser Signs With CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys

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The Rakuten Monkeys of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League announced that they have signed right-hander Beau Sulser. Yihsuan Wang of Yahoo Taiwan reported a few weeks back that the Sulser was in negotiations with a CPBL team. The righty is represented by Full Circle Sports Management.

Sulser, 31 in May, pitched in the majors in 2022. Splitting his time between the Pirates and Orioles, he tossed 22 1/3 innings over 10 appearances, allowing 3.63 earned runs per nine innings. He struck out 19.2% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 9.1% clip.

His minor league numbers that year were a bit more interesting. Over 56 2/3 Triple-A innings between those two clubs, his 4.13 ERA was pretty middling but his 24.3% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate were both strong numbers.

Going into 2023, he headed to Asia by signing with the KT Wiz of the KBO League in Korea. That move didn’t work out for him, as he posted a 5.62 ERA in 49 2/3 innings, getting released in June. For the latter half of 2023 and then the 2024 season, he was back in North America, bouncing around on minor league deals. Between the Pirates and Blue Jays, he had a 5.63 over that year and a half, throwing 112 minor league innings. His 6.6% walk rate was still good but he only struck out 17.9% of hitters.

Had he stayed in affiliated ball for 2025, Sulser surely would have been limited to another minor league deal and an uphill battle back to the majors. Instead, he’ll head overseas again for a clearer opportunity and likely a guaranteed salary above what he would make while pitching in Triple-A.

Kirk McCarty Re-Signs With CPBL’s CTBC Brothers

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Left-hander Kirk McCarty is re-signing with the CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan (h/t to CPBL Stats). McCarty first signed with the club prior to the 2024 season but will be returning to pitch for them again in 2025.

McCarty, 29, was a seventh-round pick by Cleveland back in 2017 and made his big league debut in 2022. That remains his only season of big league action. He spent 13 games as a swingman in the Guardians’ bullpen, starting two games and finishing six as he cobbled together 37 2/3 innings of work. The results left something to be desired, however, as he posted a 4.54 ERA (84 ERA+) with a 6.64 FIP.

Somewhat unusually, McCarty’s time in Cleveland was actually broken up by a brief sojourn to the Orioles organization in 2022, in the middle of his time as an up-and-down hurler for the Guardians. The club actually designated him for assignment after his third appearance of the year on July 2, at which point he had a 9.00 ERA in 12 innings of work. He played just one game in the Baltimore organization (a four-inning start at the Triple-A level) before he was once again designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Guardians on July 14, ending his week away from the organization.

McCarty’s ten appearances with the Guardians after being re-acquired went far better, as he pitched to a strong 2.45 ERA in 25 2/3 frames across ten appearances. With that being said, there were still some red flags in the peripherals; while McCarty’s 6.9% walk rate was excellent, his 17.8% strikeout rate left much to be desired and he surrendered a whopping five home runs during that time. That left him with a 5.18 in even during his best stretch of play in the majors, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when the Guardians released McCarty early in the 2022-23 offseason.

It wasn’t long after that when McCarty signed a deal with the Korea Baseball Organization’s SSG Landers, and he pitched as a starter for the club in 2023. Things went quite well for the southpaw during his first year overseas, as he pitched to a strong 3.39 ERA in 24 starts and struck out 21.4% of opponents in 130 innings of work. That solid performance wasn’t enough to keep McCarty in the KBO for 2024, however, and he instead headed to Taiwan to pitch for the Brothers. The southpaw was utterly dominant in the CPBL, making the most out of his 81 2/3 innings over 13 starts. McCarty posted a sterling 2.76 ERA despite striking out just 18.5% of opponents faced during the season.

Those lackluster strikeout numbers may have held McCarty’s prospects back somewhat in free agency, but the Brothers were evidently happy to have him back in the fold, where he’ll look to further establish himself as a strong rotation option in hopes of potentially making it back to the majors at some point in the future.

CPBL’s Fubon Guardians Sign Roenis Elías

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Left-handed pitcher Roenis Elías has reportedly signed a contract for the 2025 season with the Fubon Guardians of the CPBL in Taiwan. TSNA (h/t to CPBL Stats) was the first to report the news (Chinese language link), which Francys Romero later confirmed. The southpaw will earn a guaranteed $500K USD salary.

Elías, 36, spent time with the Mariners, Red Sox, and Nationals throughout parts of seven MLB seasons. His best year was his rookie campaign with Seattle in 2014, when he pitched 163 2/3 innings over 29 starts with a 3.85 ERA and 3.96 SIERA. Unfortunately, he struggled to ever replicate that success. From 2015-22, he pitched 232 big league innings over 104 games (25 starts), putting up a 4.03 ERA and 4.49 SIERA.

Although he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs ahead of the 2023 season, Elías made only four starts for Triple-A Iowa before the organization released him to pursue a career overseas. He inked a $540K contract with the KBO’s SSG Landers in May and pitched to a 3.70 ERA in 131 1/3 innings over the rest of the year. That ERA was well below the 4.14 league average, as was his 6.0% walk rate. Those numbers were enough to earn him another season (and a raise) from the Landers, who re-signed him to a one-year, $1MM deal for the 2024 campaign.

Unfortunately, the 2024 season wasn’t quite as kind to Elías. He missed time with an oblique injury and finished with a 4.08 ERA in 123 2/3 innings. However, it’s worth pointing out that his ERA was actually better compared to the league average in 2024 than it was in 2023. He also increased his strikeout rate from 17.0% to 19.8% while slightly reducing his walk rate. Nevertheless, it seems as if the Landers opted not to bring him back for a third year with the club. Instead, Elías will take a pay cut and try to establish himself in a new foreign league.

CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys Sign Jonathan Bermudez

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The Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League have signed left-hander Jonathan Bermudez, according to the CPBL Stats X account.  The 29-year-old Bermudez elected minor league free agency at the end of the 2024 season.

A 23rd-round pick for the Astros in the 2018 draft, Bermudez spent parts of his first four pro seasons in Houston’s farm system before the Giants claimed him off waivers in August 2022.  He was on Puerto Rico’s roster for the World Baseball Classic in March 2023, but that same month saw the Giants release the southpaw.  Bermudez caught on with the Marlins on a minors deal a few weeks later and had been with Miami until he chose free agency this past October.

This time with the Marlins resulted in Bermudez’s Major League debut, as he posted an 8.10 ERA over three appearances and 6 2/3 innings this season.  One of the many pitchers cycled on and off Miami’s active roster this season, Bermudez was twice designated for assignment and then outrighted off the Marlins’ 40-man in August and September.

The southpaw posted solid numbers throughout most of his minor-league career but seemed to hit a wall at Triple-A, posting a 7.01 ERA over 140 innings at the top farm level.  Bermudez’s walk and strikeout totals have trended in the wrong direction at Triple-A, and home runs were a particular issue for him during the 2022 season in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Bermudez has started 85 of his 122 career minor league games, and seems likely to assume a starting role in the Monkeys’ rotation.  Rather than battle for a minor league contract with North American moves, signing with the CPBL allows Bermudez to lock in some guaranteed money and perhaps provide a fresh start to his career.

Spenser Watkins Signs With CPBL’s TSG Hawks

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Right-hander Spenser Watkins has signed a one-year deal with the TSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on X. The righty is a client of Gaeta Sports Management.

Watkins, 32, has appeared in 40 major league games, suiting up for the Orioles and Athletics over the 2021 to 2023 seasons. He tossed 164 1/3 innings over those appearances, allowing 5.97 earned runs per nine. He struck out 13.9% of batters faced, walked 6.9% of opponents and got grounders on 38.4% of balls in play.

He signed a minor league deal with the Nationals going into 2024 but never got the call to the big leagues. He tossed 118 1/3 Triple-A innings on the year with a 4.56 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate.

If he had stayed in North America, he likely would have been looking at another minor league deal and more riding the bus while hoping to get the big league call. By heading to join the Hawks, he’ll get to explore new horizons while also likely collecting a larger paycheck than he would on the farm.

Yu Chang Likely Joining CPBL’s Fubon Guardians

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Infielder Yu Chang announced on his social media that he is planning to enter the 2024 draft for the Chinese Professional Baseball League of Taiwan, relayed by CPBL Stats on X. Per a report from Kayleigh Madjar at the Taipei Times, the Fubon Guardians have the top pick in the draft, which is scheduled for Friday next week. It seems the Guardians plan to select Chang as the club released a statement saying that they have been in contact with Chang for some time, adding that the “look forward to [Chang] wearing a Fubon Guardians jersey in the second half of the season.” Per CPBL Stats on X, the Guardians will likely offer Chang a contract of 3.5 years worth between $2.34MM and $2.67MM USD. The Guardians are also expected to give the Rays $100K to buy Chang out of his minor league deal with that club.

“It’s been ten years working away from home, I miss home very much,” Chang said on his social media. “Therefore I’ve decided to enter the 2024 CPBL draft. I really appreciate that the Rays organization has been very understanding and supportive of my decision. I’m currently in Florida playing rehab games, will be 100% healthy and get back to the game soon!”

Chang, now 28, was born in Taiwan and signed with Cleveland as an international free agent in 2013. On his way up the minor league ladder, he was generally considered one of that club’s top prospects. Baseball America had him on the Cleveland top 30 for seven straight years starting in 2015.

Broadly speaking, he hit well in the upper levels of the minors but was never able to do much at the major league level. His Triple-A production was usually solid, as he hit .264/.339/.436 at that level over multiple seasons. He was also a good defender around the infield. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average considered him an above-average fielder at all four spots on the dirt.

But multiple call-ups with Cleveland saw him struggle at the plate and get sent back down. He exhausted his final option year in 2021, which kicked off a nomadic period of his career. He was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Guardians in May of 2022 but got plenty of interest from other clubs, hoping that he could bring some of that Triple-A production up to the majors and combine it with his strong glovework. He would go to the Pirates, Rays and Red Sox on cash deals or waiver claims throughout the 2022 season, failing to stick with any of them.

Boston non-tendered him after that season and then re-signed him for 2023. He played for Chinese Taipei in that year’s World Baseball Classic, putting up a huge line of .438/.500/.938. But he suffered a hamate fracture early in the MLB season which sent him to the injured list for a few months. His offensive struggles continued when he returned and he was designated for assignment in August. Over the five big league seasons from 2019 to 2023, he hit .204/.265/.359 in his 650 major league plate appearances.

Chang signed a minor league deal with the Rays coming into 2024 but hasn’t been able to play much this year. An oblique strain suffered in late February came with a six to eight week recovery timeline. Per his MLB.com transactions tracker, he was activated off the minor league injured list on April 26 but was sent back there on May 22. He had appeared in just 14 games in the interim.

If all goes as reported, it’s possible Chang’s time in North American ball is over. If he signs a deal that covers the remainder of this season and three more, he will be 32 years old by the time that pact runs out.

Drew Gagnon, Eric Stout Sign With CPBL Teams

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Former big league pitchers Drew Gagnon and Eric Stout have both signed on with teams in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. Gagnon, the reigning CPBL MVP, re-signed with the Wei Chuan Dragons, per a team announcement. It’s a two-year deal for the former Mets righty, who’s repped by GSI. The left-handed Stout, who’s previously pitched in the big leagues for the Royals, Cubs and Pirates, has signed with the CPBL’s CTBC Brothers, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports. The 30-year-old Stout, a client of NPG Sports, finished out the 2023 season with the Brothers as well after beginning last year with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate.

Gagnon, 33, has spent the past three seasons pitching with the Dragons and cemented himself as one of the top starters in the CPBL. Since debuting there in 2021, he’s pitched 451 1/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball with a 20.5% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. The 183 innings Gagnon pitched this past season were a personal-high at any level in his 13-year professional career, and he turned in a sharp 3.00 ERA with a 20.8% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.

Gagnon hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since a 2018-19 run with the Mets that saw him record a 7.32 ERA in a small sample of 35 2/3 innings. He spent the 2020 season with the KBO’s Kia Tigers, pitching to a 4.34 ERA in 159 2/3 frames, and his new two-year pact — one of the most lucrative for a foreign player in CPBL history — will keep him in Taiwan for his fourth and fifth CPBL campaigns.

For a former third-rounder who’d become something of a minor league journeyman before making his first jump to the professional ball in Asia, Gagnon has carved out a nice career with better compensation and job security than he’d have had jumping from Triple-A club to Triple-A club in hopes of a perhaps brief MLB return. Present-day CPBL salaries for first-year foreign players can range from $300-400K, and with Gagnon coming off an MVP season and a strong three-year run, he’s quite likely priced himself north of those figures.

As for Stout, he’d been pitching in the bullpen with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate but stretched out as a starter in Taiwan, ultimately taking the ball a dozen times and pitching to a 3.28 ERA with a 27.9% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate in 68 2/3 frames. He’ll head back to the Brothers’ rotation for the upcoming season. It’s not uncommon for former big leaguers pitching in the CPBL to draw interest from larger Asian professional leagues as the season wears on, but even if he spends the whole year in the CPBL, Stout could parlay a strong showing there into interest from KBO, NPB and/or MLB teams.

In the majors, Stout has just 24 2/3 innings under his belt. He’s been tagged for an unsightly 7.30 ERA in that time.  In parts of six Triple-A seasons, he carries a 4.63 ERA in 286 innings, with particularly solid results over the past two years between the affiliates for the Pirates, Cubs and Mariners. Stout drew some interest from big league clubs early in the offseason, though that was presumably on minor league arrangements. He’ll instead head back to Taiwan and hope that continued success there can either lead to a multi-year deal like the one signed by Gagnon or perhaps a larger guarantee with a team in the KBO, NPB or even back in MLB at some point.

Nick Margevicius Signs With CPBL’s TSG Hawks

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Left-hander Nick Margevicius has signed with the TSG Hawks of Chinese Professional Baseball in Taiwan, per CPBL Stats on X. The lefty is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Margevicius, 28 in June, has 32 games of major league experience. He threw 110 1/3 innings for the Padres and Mariners over the 2019-2021 seasons, making 22 starts and 10 relief appearances, allowing 6.12 earned runs per nine innings in that time. He struck out 18.3% of batters faced, gave out walks at an 8.1% rate and kept 41.3% of balls in play on the ground.

He was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in May of 2021 and didn’t pitch for the rest of that season. He was outrighted by the Mariners early in 2022 and stayed in their organization, tossing 49 Triple-A innings that year with a 7.53 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta going into 2023 and had a 6.82 ERA in the minors last year, split between Double-A and Triple-A.

It’s been a rough few years with the injury and subsequent poor results. Margevicius would have been limited to another minor league deal if he stayed in North America but will instead head to Taiwan to join the Hawks. The financial details of his contract aren’t known but he’ll surely make a larger salary than if he were stuck in Triple-A somewhere, in addition to getting a chance to showcase himself in a prominent foreign league.

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