By Damon Knight
On Sunday, November 26th the Detroit Tigers and GM Scott Harris signed
free-agent pitcher Kenta Maeda to a two-year deal.
Maeda, 35, signed a 2-year deal for $24MM. The right-hander spent last
season with the Minnesota Twins. Mustering an ERA of 4.23 with 28 walks and
117 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings of work. He would finish the season with a
record of 6-8 over 21 starts.
Now, the question is, what does Maeda bring to the Tigers?
Answer, veteran experience!
It is no secret that Detroit is expected to have a variety of young pitching
prospects set to make their MLB debuts within the next couple of years.
However, you cannot neglect the already established rotation of Reese Olson,
Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning. All of whom, who are in need of a
veteran present in the locker room and in their development as starters in the
majors. Maeda would certainly bring that.
Lastly, it is uncertain what the Tigers will do next in free agency. But the
possibilities are endless. Since Maeda is a native of Japan, prospects such as
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25 and one of the best pitchers to ever
come out of Japan could see Detroit as a potential landing spot. According to
his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Group says, he is open to playing with
fellow Japanese players and doesn’t have a location preference for his landing
spot in the United States.
