DETROIT – In free agency, Kenta Maeda provided the Detroit Tigers with what they were looking for: a veteran talented enough to bolster their rotation with an approach that pitchers should emulate on the mound.
“We think he’ll help us win games and influence our young starters,” general manager Scott Harris said Tuesday, after Detroit and the 35-year-old Japanese right-hander agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract.
Maeda will join a projected rotation of pitchers in their 20s, which could include Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, Reese Olson, Tarik Skubal, Joey Wentz, and possibly Casey Mize.
“He does a lot of things that we really like, and hope will rub off on our young starters,” Smith went on to say.
Smith, who is in his second full season as manager, may add more pitchers to the rotation.
“You’ll never hear me say we have enough pitching,” he went on to say.
Maeda has a 65-49 record with a 3.92 ERA in 155 starts and 35 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins.
He spent the previous three years with the Twins, where he was 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA in 20 starts and one relief appearances in his comeback from Tommy John surgery two years ago.
Smith stated that Maeda’s velocity had returned to pre-surgery levels, giving him even more confidence in signing him. This year, Maeda’s four-seam fastball averaged 90.9 mph, up from 90.8 mph in 2021 but down from a high of 92.3 mph in 2018.
“We felt pretty comfortable with offering two years,” he told me. “It gives gives us a little bit more continuity in our rotation.”
As part of the agreement, Maeda will donate $70,000 to the team’s charitable foundation next year and $50,000 in 2025.
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