One-of-a-kind reliever could become a Rangers bullpen solution from an unlikely source

The Texas Rangers have plenty of holes to fill on their roster. The offense certainly needs help, and adding another starting pitcher couldn't hurt. The bullpen also needs reinforcements.

One bullpen arm the Texas Rangers should target is Taiwanese right-hander Jyun-Yue Tseng. The Fubon Guardians of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League made Tseng available to MLB teams, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

Tseng, 25, has six seasons of CPBL experience, all with Fubon. The right-handed reliever has a career 2.36 ERA with 342 strikeouts, 91 walks and 91 saves over 240 1/3 innings.

Tseng also pitched for Taiwan in the last two World Baseball Classics. In the most recent iteration of the highly competitive tournament, he hurled two scoreless innings across two appearances. He also pitched for his home country in the 2026 WBC qualifiers, earning the save to clinch a trip to the tournament.

Possible Rangers bullen target Jyun-Yue Tseng is a unique player

What makes Tseng unique is that his fastball has touched 99 mph in the past, according to FanGraphs’ scouting report, and he is just 5’8″ and weighs 149 pounds. Height doesn't matter in baseball as much as it does in other sports, but it's nonetheless impressive to see a pitcher as small as Tseng nearly touch 100 mph on his heater.

Tseng filed for free agency in 2023 but obviously decided to stay in Taiwan. While he has thrown 99 mph before, his fastball has recently sat in the mid-90s.

The Rangers would be wise to target Tseng, as he would likely be relatively affordable. As MLB Trade Rumors noted, Tseng could join an NPB team if he can't land a deal with an MLB club. Japan's NPB pays more than the CPBL and is more competitive.

Last season, the Rangers' relievers ranked 23rd in ERA (4.47), 25th in FIP (4.40), and 26th in strikeout rate (20.0%). Since the Rangers plan to be competitive in 2027 on a payroll similar to this year's, signing Tseng to an affordable, short-term contract would be a smart move by Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young.

One thing that Texas's bullpen severely lacked in 2026 was high-end stuff outside of what Jacob Latz brought to the table. While it's unclear how Tseng's stuff would translate stateside, the velocity would suggest that the rest of his arsenal would play, and the heat would be a welcome addition.

Jakob Junis, Jordan Montgomery, Tyler Alexander, Trevor Williams, and Jalen Beeks are now free agents, leaving the Rangers with plenty of bullpen space. Texas shouldn't throw Tseng a ton of money, but if he's willing to sign an affordable one- or two-year deal, the Rangers should be interested.

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