Detroit Tigers agree to sign RHP Kenta Maeda to a two-year, $24 million contract.
Kenta Maeda’s second MLB contract will net him just $1 million guaranteed less than his first one, at 25% the length. If you dare, harken all the way back to 2016, when Maeda inked a heavily incentive-laden deal with the Dodgers for eight years and only $25 million guaranteed. That contract has finally elapsed, with Maeda relocating from Hollywood to Minneapolis in the meantime. He seems to like the colder climes just fine, or perhaps just wanted to befriend Jason Benetti, choosing to remain in the AL Central with this two-season pact in the Motor City.
Maeda looks to backfill the presumed hole in the rotation left by Eduardo Rodriguez, who opted out of the remaining three years left on his deal to become a free agent. It’s possible Rodriguez returns to the fold, but the Tigers aren’t going to wait to find out, and could use the rotation help Maeda provides regardless. The 36-year-old comes at a discount in both years and per annum relative to the pitcher he’s replacing, and with good reason: Even with various absences the last two seasons, Rodriguez compiled over 240 innings for the Tigers while Maeda logged just over 211 in his last two seasons (he missed 2022 due to Tommy John surgery). Those 30+ extra innings came in just two more starts, so it isn’t just about availability, but also endurance, game to game.