2022 CPBL Rumour Tracker: New Foreign Players
Ah yes, it’s the offseason, and all the CPBL teams are busy signing new foreign players for the 2022 season. And this is typically the time where we get bombarded with tonnes of potential foreign players signing rumours.
As always, to keep all the rumours in one place, we have set up an offseason rumour tracker for all the potential 2022 signings. [Last Updated: January 12, 2021]
Note: Please take “[online rumour]” with a grain of salt, because at the end of the day, it is only online rumour.
January 12 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers confirmed the signing of Francisco Peña. [CTBC Brothers]
January 11 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers are targeting Francisco Peña as their fourth foreign player. [Liberty Sports]
January 8 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers are currently eyeing a foreign hitter from the Dominican Winter League. [UDN]
- Uni-Lions have signed an unnamed foreign pitcher with MLB experience. [Liberty Sports]
- Uni-Lions are hoping to finalise the deal with their 4th foreign player by next week. The team currently have three potential candidates. [Uni-Lions]
January 7 Signing Rumours
- Uni-Lions’ deal with this “American left-hander who had a 10+ win season in the KBO” is unlikely to happen. [ETtoday, Liberty Sports]
January 5 Signing Rumours
- Wei Chuan Dragons is targeting another foreign hitter. According to the Dragons manager, this unnamed player is a Dominican infielder with MLB and NPB experiences, he was active in Japan last year. [Wei Chuan Dragons, NOW News, SET News]
- Notes: My own personal speculation, that player is highly likely to be Ronny Rodriguez.
- Uni-Lions confirmed the re-signing of Brock Dykxhoorn to a full-season contract. [Uni-Lions]
January 4 Signing Rumours
- Fubon Guardians are targeting a left-hander who recently pitched more than 5 innings in the Caribbean Winter League. [Apple Daily]
- Notes: My own personal speculation, assuming that winter league is LIDOM, then that person is most likely to be Tyler Alexander. If based in LMP, then that person is likely to be Brennan Bernardino.
- Notes: My own personal speculation, assuming that winter league is LIDOM, then that person is most likely to be Tyler Alexander. If based in LMP, then that person is likely to be Brennan Bernardino.
- Uni-Lions are targeting an American left-hander who had a 10+ win season in the KBO. [Liberty Sports]
- Notes: My own personal speculation, maybe Chad Bell?
January 3 Signing Rumours
- Rakuten Monkeys are targeting Henry Sosa. [CNA]
- CTBC Brothers and Rakuten Monkeys are interested in signing Mike Loree. The Fubon Guardians currently hold the negotiation rights to Loree. [ETtoday]
- Fubon Guardians GM told the media they are currently in talks with 3 new foreign pitchers. Out of those 3 are 2 starting pitchers and 1 reliever. [Fubon Guardians]
- Fubon Guardians confirmed the signing of Xavier Batista. [Fubon Guardians]
December 30 Signing Rumours
- Uni-Lions are targeting 3 new foreign players. The team might go with 4 foreign pitchers or 3 pitchers and 1 hitter to start the 2022 season. [SET News]
- Uni-Lions are close to finalising a deal to re-sign Brock Dykxhoorn. [SET News]
- Rakuten Monkeys have filed 1 new hiring application to the Ministry of Labour. [Minstry of Labour]
December 28 Signing Rumours
- Wei Chuan Dragons are looking at the possibility of signing two foreign hitters. [Liberty Sports]
- Uni-Lions have filed one new hiring work permit application to the Ministry of Labour. [Ministry of Labour]
December 24 Signing Rumours
- Fubon Guardians are planning to sign 5 foreign players for 2022 season. 3 starting pitchers, 1 reliever and 1 position player. [Fubon Guardians]
December 19 Signing Rumours
- Fubon Guardians are targeting foreign hitter Xavier Batista. [Yahoo Sports’ Wang Yi-Hsuan]
- Wei Chuan Dragons are close to finalising a deal with Jake Brigham. [Wei Chuan Dragons]
December 17 Signing Rumours
- SportMidnight reported the Fubon Guardians have signed Akeel Morris. [Online Rumour]
- Fubon Guardians denied the signing rumour of Akeel Morris. [Fubon Guardians]
December 12 Signing Rumours
- Uni-Lions are currently reviewing 2-3 potential new foreign pitchers. [ETtoday]
- Uni-Lions will also consider foreign hitter, they prefer the foreign position player to be an infielder. Signing foreign pitchers is still the team’s priority. [ETtoday]
- Wei Chuan Dragons have agreed to terms with Telvin Nash. [Wei Chuan Dragons]
December 10 Signing Rumours
- Uni-Lions have already offered a contract to Brock Dykxhoorn. [NOWnews]
December 6 Signing Rumours
- Other CPBL teams are reportedly targeting Dragons’ Tazawa Junichi and Bryan Woodall. [Liberty Sports]
- Teddy Stankiewicz’s salary is reportedly around 500,000 USD. José De Paula’s salary is reportedly over 500,000 USD. [CTBC Brothers B-Talk Show]
- CTBC Brothers are not going after Brock Dykxhoorn. [CTBC Brothers B-Talk Show]
- Notes: My own personal speculation, the Brothers can not admit they are going after Dykxhoorn openly because that is player tampering and it is against the CPBL regulation.
December 5 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers are targeting another team’s foreign pitcher (Other than Brock Dykxhoorn). [Online Rumour]
- Notes: My own personal speculation, Maybe Jake Brigham? Dylan Covey? Manny Bañuelos? Henry Sosa?
December 4 Signing Rumours
- Wei Chuan Dragons are reportedly in talks with Telvin Nash. The Dragons manager hinted that the new foreign position player hit over 40 home runs in a single season in the Atlantic League and also played in Japan’s independent league. [ETtoday]
- Fubon Guardians are close to finalising a full-season deal with Jake Brigham. [Online Rumour]
December 3 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers are targeting Brock Dykxhoorn. [Online Rumour]
- CTBC Brothers confirmed the signing of Teddy Stankiewicz. [CTBC Brothers]
November 27 Signing Rumours
- At least six KBO teams are eyeing Teddy Stankiewicz. [UDN]
November 15 Signing Rumours
- Fubon Guardians GM confirmed they are in the process to sign two foreign hitters for the 2022 season. [Fubon Guardians]
November 3 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers confirmed they reached a preliminary understanding with Teddy Stankiewicz. [CTBC Brothers]
November 1 Signing Rumours
- CTBC Brothers are targeting Teddy Stankiewicz. [UDN]
I like Kyle Martin, who is currently leading the Mexican Pacific Winter League with a 1.107 OPS and hit 31 home runs for the Winnepeg Goldeyes of the American Association as much as Telvin Nash. Martin is two years younger and would likely cost the same amount to sign as Nash.
If either of the Wei Chuan Dragons or the Fubon Guardians, the two teams that have expressed interest in signing position players, needs a rightfielder, three I like playing in the Winter Leagues are Socrates Brito (29), Yadir Drake (32) and Danny Ortiz (32). They all appear to be better than average defensive rightfielders who can play center field in a pinch, and would be good bets to hit in the CPBL.
Other Winter Leaguers I like as possible 2022 CPBLers are 1B Kennys Vargas (31), LF Zoilo Almonte, 1B Aderlin Rodriguez (30), and 1B/3B Christian Villanueva (31).
All six of Brito, Drake, Ortiz, Vargas, Almonte, Rodriguez and Villanueva have played in the MLB or NPB majors, they have all hit this winter, and they are all at a point in their careers where a typical CPBL contract offer should look pretty good.
Zoilo Almonte hit .271 with a .740 OPS in half a season in the KBO in 2020, which was actually pretty good in terms of hitting the KBO that season. He got dumped in part because his team, the ultimate league champion KT Wiz thought he wasn’t hussling enough. The impression I got from the articles I read was that Almonte may have been hurt and wasn’t hussling at times in order to stay in the line-up. He didn’t play anywhere in the second half of the summer season, suggesting he was trying to heal up for winter ball.
The Kia Tigers just signed Socrates Brito for a $600,000 guarantee and substantial performance incentives. After recording a .691 OPS at AAA in 2021, I didn’t think he’d generate KBO interest and would be a good pick-up for a CPBL team. Turns out I was wrong as the Tigers have just proven.
I still have my doubt about CPBL team need to have foreign hitters. It just seems like a waste of a foreign slot. It will make sense if it mandatory policy.
By the way, the Uni-Lions are thinking to get a foreign hitter too. And Dragons are thinking to have 2 foreign hitters next year.
When/if CPBL adds a sixth team, there will be a need for foreign position players. Maybe the league will allow teams to carry four foreign players on the major league roster, one of whom must be a position player.
Yeah, I think that’s the better policy. Making it all the foreign players can’t be all pitchers or position players.
I do want foreign hitters in the league. It just without the actual league regulations to enforce that, it just seems like a waste spot.
Winter League pitchers I like as possible 2022 CPBLers are the following, a lot of whom are familiar names:
Cesar Valdez (age 37)
Wendolyn Bautista (29)
Radhames Liz (38)
Eric Stout (29)
Mitch Lively (36)
Ryan Verdugo (35)
Manny Banuelos (31)
David Holmberg (30)
I can see some team taking another chance on Manny Banuelos.
I don’t think there is any doubt that Fubon would try to bring Banuelos back if he’s willing to return to Taiwan. His CPBL numbers were strong.
As a Mexican player, he might prefer to pitch in Mexico for less money, particularly now that he is over age 30.
I like former Cincinnati Red Jackson Stephens (28) as a possible 2022 CPBLer. He’s young, has MLB experience, and he pitched well in Mexico and Venezuela in 2021.
Ohhh, Jackson Stephens would be a good candidate. You know how I feel about signing foreign players under 30 anyway.
If CPBL teams will be signing foreign position players in 2022, three Atlantic Leaguers for CPBL teams to follow are Courtney Hawkins (age 28 in 2022), Michael Osinski (26) and Ben Aklinski (26).
Courtney Hawkins was a No. 13 overall MLB draft pick by the White Sox out of high school, so he’s got the physical tools. He hit a league-leading 32 HRs and 1.103 OPS in 392 plate appearances.
Osinski’s 1.034 OPS was 9th best in the Atlantic’s eight team circuit, and his raw defensive numbers suggest he has the range to play 3B at a high level, and could play 2B and SS in a pinch.
Ben Aklinski’s .938 OPS was only 29th best in a hitters’ league. He thumped 28 HR in 495 plate appearances, and he has youth on his side. He would probably be an above average corner outfielder who could play 2B when the starter is hurt.
Two more position players I like as possible 2022 CPBLers are SS Orlando Calixte (age 30) in 2022 and CF Wynton Bernard (31).
Calixte is a shortstop who can also play 2B and 3B and has played more than 30 professional games at all three outfield positions. There is a lot to be said for a player who can play a lot of positions. He posted a .618 OPS in 220 AAA plate appearances and .754 OPS in 118 Dominican Winter League plate appearances. He runs well, stealing 18 bases in 23 attempts in 2021.
Wynton Bernard is a true center fielder who runs extremely well. He posted a .714 OPS in 351 AAA plate appearances and .925 OPS in 64 Mexican Winter League plate appearances. He stole 23 bases in 25 attempts at AAA and then stole another five bases without getting caught in Mexico. If he were to hit enough to play regularly in the CPBL, he would almost certainly be one of the league’s top five base-stealers.
Bernard has never played in the majors, but he has played Winter ball in Venezuela, Australia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, so he should be able to adapt to living and playing in Taiwan. Players who run as well as Bernard does tend to age well.
Tyler Alexander seems most likely because he has pitched in AAA recently and has been on the radar for a couple of seasons now.
Hopefully the team will give us more clues.