Japanese Star Inks 2-Year Deal With Detroit Tigers as Free Agent Market Grows Thin

The Detroit Tigers are setting things in motion. While there have been talks about signing the Japanese for a while now, these speculations might just be materializing. November has posed as an intense month for discussions between the right-hand pitcher and the Tigers. The time has come for the deal to finally strike. 

The former Minnesota Twins’ 35-year-old became a free agent after 8 years this year. Teams immediately showed interest in him, with Detroit being the hungriest for him. In the midst of the Tigers looking to bolster their pitching abilities for the 2024 season, this is their first step.

It Becomes Official On Monday

The news is out! @BNightengale took to Twitter and reported, “Starter Kenta Maeda’s talks with the Detroit Tigers reach conclusion on a 2-year deal. It becomes official Monday after he takes physical. @JonHeyman and @EvanPetzold on it.” With him in place, one can expect a renewed line-up for the ‘big cats’ in the upcoming year. 

Viewing from an optimistic lens, the deal that is supposedly worth $24 million might steer the Tigers in the right direction. Before Detroit, the soon-to-be 36 in April, Maeda pitched for the Minnesota Twins last season.

He went 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA – 1.17 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 104.1 innings. He also pitched in 21 games. After his Tommy John surgery in September 2021, he had to miss the entire 2022 season. However, soon after his recovery, he made an incredible comeback that he displayed on the 2023 MLB stage.

Before moving up to the big leagues, Maeda was a professional player in Japan, having played for the Hiroshima Carp from 2008 to 2015. For 3 years, from 2016 to 2019, he was a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers until he moved in 2020 to the Twins. That said, apart from him there is another Twin who is planning to move on from Minnesota.

The Minnesota Twins’ Plans For 2024

The other 2023 Twins starter is anticipated to sign with other teams besides the Tadaoka-born. After missing out on the Cy Young award to Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray turned down his $20 million option to remain with the Twins and is currently being pursued as a free agent. He is one of the most sought after free agents and has many suitors. However, there isn’t definitive news about who will bag him.

Read More: Detroit Tigers Front-Runners to Sign Japanese Free Agent

Minnesota’s plan to trade some of their wealthiest players comes from the intention of cutting costs. For the Twins, with a roster currently estimated at $120 million and The Athletic reporting they anticipate having an Opening Day payroll in the $125–140 million range, it was predicted that they trade veterans in order to add more through free agency or other trades. Indeed, they did!

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