Maeda goes to pitch in Japan, probably hoping that being there will improve his pitching performances. They were not good last season for the Detroit Tigers.
For Kenta Maeda, it's been a long, strange trip since his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, after a rather down season with the Detroit Tigers, Maeda is going home to Japan. Earlier in the postseason, Maeda issued a statement that he was going back to Japan. Well, he's signed a two-year contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Maeda pitched nine seasons in the majors, starting with four between 2016-19 with the Dodgers. He then spent three seasons with the Minnesota Twins, and two with the Detroit Tigers.
Maeda put together a 47-35 record with the Dodgers, finishing his time there with a 3.87 ERA. Maeda started 103 games for Los Angeles and also added six saves to his record, too. He also recorded 641 strikeouts while on the mound in Dodger Blue.
But his ERA soared to 4.02 ERA during his time with Minnesota. Maeda finished with an 18-14 overall mark for the Twins. He struck out 310 batters during his time with the Twins, too.
Then, his time with Detroit simply was not good. Maeda was 3-7 with a 6.21 ERA, couldn't perform well as a starter, and got demoted to the Tigers' bullpen. Last season's numbers for Maeda? Seven appearances, eight strikeouts, and a 7.88 ERA. That's not going to keep a pitcher on a team for any length of time.
That was the case for Maeda as he is now looking to rebound in a big way.
But take a look at this. In 2016, Maeda finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. In 2020, he was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award.
Yet Maeda just has not been able to reproduce that type of success while with the Twins and Tigers. Maeda signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Tigers, getting $14 million for 2024 and $10 million last season.
For that type of money, the Tigers really didn't get much in return.
Maeda will return home to Japan in the hopes of resurrecting his career. Speaking of his career, Maeda's win-loss record is 68-56 with a 4.20 ERA.
Dodgers fans will remember what Maeda accomplished for the ballclub. Yet Maeda wants to keep pitching and, for him, going back to Japan just might be the spark he needs to fix his pitching woes.
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