The Indians announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Chih-Wei Hu from the Rays in exchange for minor league infielder Gionti Turner. The 25-year-old Hu brings Cleveland’s 40-man roster count to 36 players, while the deal gives the Rays organization some flexibility in advance of tomorrow’s deadline to protect additional players from the Rule 5 Draft.
Hu, 25, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay back in 2017 and, over the past two seasons, has pitched to a 3.52 ERA with a 21-to-7 K/BB ratio in 23 innings of big league relief. He’s averaged 93.2 mph on his heater in that time and generated a solid 11.6 percent swinging-strike rate in addition to a 32.2 percent chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone. As an extreme fly-ball pitcher, he’s been a bit homer-prone in his small sample of Major League work.
Tampa Bay initially acquired Hu from the Twins in a 2015 swap that sent Kevin Jepsen from the Rays to the Twins. Minnesota initially signed the Taiwanese-born righty as an amateur free agent back in August 2012. He’s done the entirety of his work in the Majors as a reliever, though the bulk of his minor league career has been spent as a starter. He could give Cleveland some depth in both regards, though given the current state of the Indians’ roster, the clearer path for him to contribute in the big leagues is in a relief capacity. Hu does have a minor league option remaining, so he can be sent to Triple-A Columbus to open the season without being exposed to waivers. In 174 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, he has a 4.07 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.
The 18-year-old Turner had an exceptionally brief tenure as a member of the Indians organization. Cleveland selected him the 27th round of this past summer’s draft, and he went on to appear in 46 games for the club’s Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona League. He acquitted himself well, hitting .296/.348/.396 with a homer, 10 doubles, two triples and nine steals in 187 plate appearances. Turner spent 261 innings at second base, 103 innings at shortstop and 34 innings in center field during that brief professional debut.
The Indians have been trying to get the hot stove burning over the last few days
Nice move for the Tribe. Hard to predict what a 17 year old kid will do and they got a guy who has had a decent amount of success.
Ehh. Idk about all that Hu is more of a middle relief arm. The kid they gave up is obviously. A total lotto ticket but that’s what the rays go for and want here. They trade for kids right out of HS all the time. It was a necessary move by Tampa to clear some 40 man space and Cleveland needs all the cheap arms they can get.
I understand the deal for Tampa and don’t disagree with why they did it. I just think Cleveland got a guy who can be slotted cheaply into their bullpen for basically nothing.
Those types are pretty valuable given the way the game is managed now. A bullpen is 12 men deep if not more and you need those guys that can be sent down.
Limiting the amount of RP teams can carry is a rule change Mlb and the PA should be in favour of. This accomplishes two things. The first being teams would be forced into developing RP who can pitch for more than one inning effectively. It also creates less pitching changes thus speeds up the game. Seeing countless nameless AAA RP coming out of the pen daily isn’t entertaining don’t care what any of you dinosaurs say. The PA should recognize this rule would help effective RPs who have options stay on the roster longer, thus reaching free agency sooner so they should be for the rule as well.
I hear ya!
I remember when a closer like Sparky Lyle would come in and pitch two or three innings.
And I remember when they were called “firemen” because they would come in a hot situation and put the fire out. They might come in the 7th or 8th with men on and close it, not start the 9th with none on and none out.
Except…….
Teams have realized the ability to turn a low-bonus signing into a “throw hard for 18 pitches” guy, by training him to be ready for specifically that.
Why would “50 percent plus one” of the players or 23/30 owners want to devalue a valid portion of their pitching pipeline?
Yeah, the fans would like it. Owners? Players? Less so.
Please tell me they are going to convert him to a first baseman.
I don’t know. Third base!
All right, I’ll be the first…..Hu got traded?
Hu is on second?
Hu cares?
From Lue, to Hue to Hu.
Cleveland has it covered..
They still have Yu Chang too
But no relation to Donna
Well done.
Seems like a decent addition for the Tribe.
Is your middle name Throne by any chance?
Yep….just what the Rays needed….another middle infielder prospect. They were down to their last 20 or so. Restock. They just found a taker for an extra piece and took their best offer I’m guessing.
Is baseball gaining any traction in China? Taiwan loves baseball, Korea loves baseball, and Japan definitely loves baseball. It is odd to me that China does not have the same passion.
There is Chinese baseball but there’s also, like Cuba, that communist thing that prevents any growth.
The NBA makes millions there…again, it is a bit more complex than “communism.”
Not sure how interested in this you actually are, but I recommend an article from the South China Morning Post.
I don’t want to span MLBTR’s comments with external links, but it’s called ” WHY IS BASEBALL A HIT IN JAPAN, BUT STRIKING OUT IN CHINA? HINT: IT’S TO DO WITH THE PLA AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION.”
Thanks for sharing this. The point about Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan all having a strong U.S. presence during the Cold War makes a lot of sense.
Yes, thank you for that. That makes a lot of sense indeed the connection with the U.S.
Over a billion people live in China, and it’s larger than the U.S. in geographical size. Seems to me it might be a little more complex than “they love baseball in Korea.” Not all the kids play hockey in Indiana, either.
Hu are you?? Hu hu hu hu. Hu are you?
Ok I’m done.
I’m talking about Hu! “THE WHO”
Who?
Be it starting or relieving, and no matter what level from MLB to A ball, this Hu kid constantly put up a ~2.5 BB and ~8.2 K rate.
Don’t see that often. Usually as you progress up the charts, the increased competition level decreases your rates.
Good start,we need slots in the 40 man roster. Better to keep our minor league talent instead of middle innings MLB ready pitcher. Acquiring a young player back is a plus. Although, previouslty I was disappointed with the Rays FO for trading Cory Dickerson, Wilson Ramos, N Eavoldi, S Souza. They were almost always correct in their transactions. Silverman, Bloom and Neander will do a very good job in this offseason making the Rays better for 19.
Honest question, where do you get the middle innings thing? Just because that is where he was used in his unbelievably brief (6 & 5 games, respectively) ML calls the last two years?
He is a starter in your system, it’s logical they used him in multi-innings when they called him up briefly, but he hasn’t even been tried in short relief yet
Otherwise Hu was a top-10 prospect in the system last season for TB. Hes got an option left and has yet to reach Rookie status, so he has 6-7 years of control left. And Fangraphs said they think he has the stuff to be a dominant reliever, if he were to move to that role.
In return Tampa got just a guy they could have drafted in the 27th round themselves a few months ago.
It clears a roster spot for the Rays, but that seems to be about it and seems a little weird to pick Hu as the guy to clear said spot with.
Good points…
He doesn’t have great stuff. I’ve seen enough of him to know. We have a lot of pitching so it’s moot for the Rays.Cleveland is a great coaching club maybe you can bring more out if him.
Yes, he has a lot of control remaining, and there is value in that. His stuff simply isn’t all that great. He is far from a top 10 prospect in the Rays system. Probably not even top 30. He was, if not the most obvious person to lose his 40 man spot, was one of the 3-4 most likely at least. Potential swingman, that’s about his ceiling to me.
Was said to arguably have the best stuff in 2016 Futures Game – with a 5 pitch arsenal that includes a devastating Change/Palmball that borders in a Screwball. I don’t even know where this poor stuff thing comes from.
Both Fangraphs and John Sickles had him ranked 7th in the TB system 2017. That year the Rays moved him to the pen with Sickles ranking him 22nd in a deep system after that but saying;
“Age 24, signed by Twins out of Taiwan in 2012, traded to Rays in 2015 for Kevin Jepsen; posted 3.06 ERA in 62 innings in Triple-A with 57/12 K/BB, 2.70 ERA in 10 major league innings with 9/4 K/BB; Rays seem committed to him as a reliever although in my opinion he could be a solid number four starter if given the opportunity; diverse arsenal with 90-95 fastball as part of command package with curve, slider, change-up, cutter, palmball, all solid gets the B- split grade because I think he could start if they let him; ETA 2018.”
A straight B- would put him tied for top-10 again, a mark he only missed because of the move to the Pen and how deep the Rays system is
And all the Rays goy for him is a guy they could have drafted in the 27th round this Summer and has a ceiling of a 5th OF/Def replacement *IF* his glove progresses as it may.
If I were a Rays fan, I’d be possed over this deal
That was a long time ago. Meanwhile, in the present his actual value is far lower than you are trying to make it out to be. Fangraphs currently had him as the 33rd ranked prospect in the system. Baseball America called him a middle relief prospect in its breakdown of the trade. He is coming off a much worse year in Durham where his ERA ballooned to 4.66, gave up far more hits, walked significantly more batters, and struck out less. The Rays did not trust him whatsoever and very clearly saw him as expendable. Cleveland can get some value out of him I would think, but this is far from a big loss for the Rays. The scouting reports on Turner seem to be strong. He showed well as a 17 year old and has plus athleticism and frame. Looks like a solid utility option and a good enough flyer to receive for a guy like Hu. I am a Rays fan and am not pissed whatsoever.
2017 wasn’t “a long time ago”
In 2018 he did not significantly walk more guys at all (2.43 BB/9) nor did his K rate drop really at all (8.09.) He’s been extremely consistent with those ranges
Yes, his ERA was higher, but not many teams pay attention to that rather meaningless number – meanwhile FIP and xFIP paint a fine picture (4.19 and 3.79 respectively)
MLB says some insane stuff (called Braden Bishop a top-of-order hitter just the other day.) The last time Fangraphs ranked him he was 29th with a 40 FV – the same FV that ran all the way from #21-#34 because of how deep the system is. The 40 on say the Angels system puts him somewhere between 10-20th
But that gets to the real issue
Angels – desperate for SP
A’s – desperate for SP
Rangers – desperate for SP
Reds – desperate for SP
M’s – looking for ML SP depth
among others
And yet, the Rays trade a 4-5 starter type prospect with 6-7 years of control for …just short of nothing
Because that is what Turner really is – almost nothing. He’s a 27th rounder (823rd overall) that the Rays passed on plenty of times. Why? Because he profiles for absolutely no bat and has no arm. He has speed and *might* develop enough to turn into a fair defender in CF, but that will take a ton of work and development. Right now, he’s just like countless other players in the low minors that have some raw ability but will not get above A ball (esp those that need a .389 BAbip to look merely decent at the plate)
It is idiotic they did not trade Hu to one of the many teams desperate for ML capable pitching depth and get something of actual interest for him. In the last two seasons they’ve screwed around with one of their top-10 prospects (switching him from starting to RP to starting again) then dumped him for almost nothing instead of working something out with a club in need.
Lol ok bud you are right Hu is just the second coming, so weird that even though the Rays used 27 pitchers and had the entire AAA staff up and down the entire season and they still only have him 13 innings. Enjoy that incredible prospect.
You understand that a 40 on the scouting scale is a below replacement player right.
Cleveland and Hu! Congrats on fleecing us Ray fans, His name will be missed by Rays forever! Pitching? meh. Good luck with that.
Maybe you would consider trading Kluber for our to prospect Watt along with Eydontno our 3rd base standout. If Cleveland considers it, They could have HU at Pitcher/first, Watt at 2nd and Eydontno at third!
The man needs and endorsement from a certain clothing company, so that he can advertise himself as Guess! Hu
We knew the Tribe would have to fill a bullpen hole or two with spending big money I don’t mind the deal for them or the Rays.
*without
Who I mean Hu?
Okay, jokes aside, I love this pickup for CLE.