The CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League have signed left-handed pitcher Jose De Paula to a two-year extension that will cover the 2022 and 2023 seasons. (Hat tip to CPBL Stats, relaying a report from ETtoday.)
The native of the Dominican Republic was originally signed by the Padres, making his affiliated debut in rookie ball as a 19-year-old back in 2007. De Paula climbed the Padres’ farm system and got as high as Double-A before being claimed on waivers by the Giants after the 2013 season. In 2014, he logged 51 1/3 Triple-A innings with an ERA of 4.21. The Yankees signed him to a split contract for 2015, allowing De Paula to make his MLB debut that season. He appeared in one big league game, throwing 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and four walks but just one run. He also threw 27 2/3 innings in Triple-A that year with an ERA of 5.20.
De Paula spent the next few years pitching in the Dominican Winter League and Mexican League, largely producing solid but unspectacular results. Heading to Taiwan for the 2020 season allowed him to completely reinvent himself. He pitched in 27 games for the Brothers, 26 of them starts, throwing 174 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.20, racking up 192 strikeouts against just 48 walks. Based on that excellent campaign, he was crowned the CPBL MVP for 2020. Returning to the Brothers for 2021, he took his game to an even higher level, throwing 178 innings with a miniscule ERA of 1.77, along with 187 strikeouts and 25 walks. That superb effort helped the Brothers win the CPBL championship and earned De Paula his second straight MVP honor.
In October of last year, De Paula was extended by the Brothers for the 2022 season, but has now been extended for yet another year, allowing him to stick with the club for two more seasons in what has been a remarkable second act to his career. The southpaw will turn 34 in March, meaning this contract will keep him with the Brothers through his age-35 season.