MLB Rumors: Kenta Maeda Agrees to 2-Year, $24M Tigers Contract After Twins Tenure
Right-handed starting pitcher Kenta Maeda agreed to a two-year contract with the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the deal is worth $24 million.
Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press added that the deal is pending a physical, which will take place on Monday. He also added more information on the agreement.
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Maeda, who turns 36 next April, went 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA (1.17 WHIP) and 117 strikeouts in 104.1 innings for the Minnesota Twins last season. He pitched in 21 games (20 starts).
The 2023 campaign marked an impressive comeback for Maeda, who underwent Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2021 and missed the entire 2022 campaign.
Maeda returned in time for the 2023 season but went on the injured list after four starts with a right triceps strain.
After two months out, Maeda was excellent upon his return thanks to a 6-4 record, 3.36 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 88.1 frames. Opposing hitters only managed a .219 batting average (.680 OPS) against him during that span, per Baseball-Reference.
Maeda played professionally in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp from 2008-2015 before heading to the bigs. He pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2016-2019 before being traded to the Twins in 2020.
Per FanGraphs' Roster Resource, Maeda currently slots in as the Tigers' No. 2 starter behind Tarik Skubal and alongside Matt Manning, Reese Olson and Casey Mize.
