Kenta Maeda Re-Signs with Hiroshima Carp: Latest Details and Reaction

Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda didn't get his wish, as Hiroshima Carp owner Hajime Matsuda has decided to keep his star pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has re-signed with the Hiroshima Carp:

Continue for updates.

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Maeda Re-Signs With Carp

Wednesday, Dec. 24

The Japan Times reports on Maeda's deal with the Carp:

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Hiroshima Carp ace Kenta Maeda on Wednesday re-signed with the Central League club for ¥300 million, up ¥20 million from last season.

“The club not only valued my results but also the way I played,” the 26-year-old said after signing the new deal at Mazda Stadium.

[...]

“I am thinking this (going to the majors) is close to becoming a reality. Hopefully I can go in the offseason next year,” said Maeda.

 

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Thursday, Dec. 18

Maeda Won't be Posted by Hiroshima Carp 

The Japan Times (h/t SI.com) reported the news and provided the following details:

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The 26-year-old Maeda has spoken openly about his desire to play in the majors, but now appears headed to negotiations for his 2015 Carp contract before the end of the year. The right-hander, who met with team officials at Mazda Stadium on Thursday, went 11-9 with a 2.60 ERA in 2014, when Hiroshima finished third in the CL for the second straight season.

Maeda will not be eligible for unlimited free agency until after the 2017 season.

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There was hope that Matsuda would post Maeda for all 30 Major League Baseball teams to bid on his services. The bidding process was changed last year, with teams only allowed to offer up to $20 million for the right to get into negotiations with a player.   

We saw this bidding process come to prominence last year when Masahiro Tanaka was posted by Tohoku Rakuten. The New York Yankees wound up signing the right-hander for $155 million, but there were multiple teams in negotiations with him. It wasn't always clear the Yankees would get a deal done, as a result. 

Maeda told Japanese media last December, via Ben Badler of Baseball America, that he wanted to play Major League Baseball and "his sentiment grew stronger after his performance in the World Baseball Classic."

Matsuda told The Japan Times that it would be "difficult" to let Maeda go because of how well he pitched in 2014. He was 11-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio, per Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com, and won the Sawamura Award as the top starting pitcher. 

It's a difficult decision, but Matsuda does have to think about what's in the best interest of his franchise. He would stand to gain a lot of money by posting Maeda, yet how do you replace the best starting pitcher in your league?

There is also the question of how much Maeda would get compared to what he wants. He could view himself in the same vein as Tanaka given that he's roughly the same age and was just awarded the highest honor a pitcher in Japan can get.  

However, Badler's report included a scouting report that painted him as more of a league-average guy than game-changing arm:

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Maeda is a slightly-built 6 feet, 160 pounds and throws around 87-93 mph with good sink and run, though he doesn’t get great angle on his fastball. He’s a good athlete, which helps him repeat his delivery and thrive when his command, which can be plus at times, is on point. Maeda doesn’t have one knockout secondary pitch, but he has a solid-average slider and mixes in a curveball and a changeup as well.

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An international scouting director is also quoted in the piece as saying that Maeda "could be a fourth starter at the big league level."

Maeda clearly has big aspirations if/when he does get posted. As Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported, the Japanese star "has told some Japanese media that when he’s posted he prefers to play for the Yankees or Red Sox."

There are two reasons people want to play in Boston or New York. First, the assumption those two teams will always be in contention. Second, those teams tend to have more money than anyone else and are willing to spend it.   

Unfortunately, Maeda will have to wait before figuring out if he has what it takes to make it as a starting pitcher in the big leagues. The good news is he will turn 27 in April, so he still has plenty of time in his prime to earn the money and become a Major League Baseball pitcher. 

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