Former Twins Cy Young runner-up Kenta Maeda announces he hopes to pitch in Japan in 2026
Former Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda announced on TV Tokyo’s “Sports Real Live” show that he plans to leave America at the end of this season and hopes to pitch for a Nippon Professional Baseball team next year. Maeda said that he decided to leave Major League Baseball behind this year after signing his two-year deal worth $24MM with the Detroit Tigers in the 2023-24 offseason.
The Twins acquired Maeda and catching prospect Jair Camargo from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for righty reliever Brusdar Graterol, outfielder Luke Raley and a Competitive Balance Pick in Feb. 2020.
Maeda's first season with the Twins went about as well as the team could've asked for, as the former Dodger posted a 2.70 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 10 walks in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season en route to finishing second in American League Cy Young voting behind Trevor Bauer. The remainder of Maeda's career with Minnesota was decent, as he had a 4.66 ERA across 21 starts in 2021, missed the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and posted a 4.23 ERA over 21 outings (20 starts) in 2023. Overall, Maeda had a 4.02 ERA, 310 strikeouts and 70 walks across 277 1/3 innings as a Twin.
Maeda began his MLB career with the Dodgers in 2016, spending four seasons with the organization before being traded to the Twins. As a Dodger, Maeda posted a 3.87 ERA with 641 strikeouts and 178 walks in 589 innings. While mainly a starter with Los Angeles, Maeda also sometimes pitched out of the bullpen. In fact, he became a postseason hero for Los Angeles as a reliever, posting a 1.64 ERA with 27 strikeouts and five walks across 22 innings out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in the playoffs.
It's safe to say that the Tigers regret signing Maeda, as the 2020 Cy Young runner-up had a 6.09 ERA over 112 1/3 innings in his first season with Detroit. He only appeared in seven games this season, posting a 7.88 ERA in eight innings before being designated for assignment by the Tigers. After being DFA'd, Maeda spent time in the Cubs and Yankees organizations but failed to get another shot in the big leagues after struggling in Triple-A for both teams.