Kenta Maeda Agrees to Contract with Los Angeles Dodgers

Star Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda is coming to Major League Baseball after agreeing to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers announced the club had inked Maeda to an eight-year deal, which was delayed after concerns over Maeda's elbow, per ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick on Jan. 5. 

Maeda has been nothing but spectacular in his career. He is 97-67 with a 2.39 ERA. He has thrown 10 shutouts while striking out 1,233 batters in 1,509.2 innings. He has walked only 319.

In 2015, the 6'0", 154-pounder finished 15-8 with a 2.09 ERA.

A scouting report from Ben Badler of Baseball America (via CBS Sports' Mike Axisa) explained his versatility:

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Maeda has shown solid stuff across the board, with a fastball that sits at 89-93 mph and can touch 94, a tick above-average slider that he leans on heavily, along with a curveball and a changeup. ... While Maeda's slider is usually his go-to secondary pitch, his best offspeed weapon in two starts against Mexico and Puerto Rico was his changeup.

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However, Axisa said while Maeda is a top pitcher in Japan, he is regarded as a middle-of-the-rotation prospect in the majors.