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Kenta Maeda believes Detroit Tigers are on track to be 'a winning team' in 2024 season
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- Kenta Maeda believes Detroit Tigers are on track to be 'a winning team' in 2024 season
Veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda has been a healthy MLB starter in seven seasons. He has made the postseason in six of those.
The 35-year-old, who spent the past four years with the Minnesota Twins , expects to win the American League Central and reach the postseason for the seventh time in his career with the Detroit Tigers in 2024.
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He believes in what is possible.
"I'm really aware of how great of a team the Tigers have put together with the young talent," Maeda said Thursday through interpreter Dai Sekizaki, "and I heard a veteran presence would be a good fit, so I feel like I can offer my services there. ... I wanted to play for a winning team, a contending team. The Tigers are right up that alley. They can be a winning team next season."
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Minnesota Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda walks to the dugout against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning of a game at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, June 23, 2023.
Maeda agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with the Tigers on Sunday. He passed his physical and the deal became official Tuesday . On Thursday night, Maeda reflected on his decision to join the Tigers.
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The Tigers were the first team to reach out to Maeda's agent, Scott Boras, and put an offer on the table. Free agency began Nov. 6, and before Thanksgiving came around, the two sides were gaining momentum toward a deal.
"It was a bit surprising because I anticipated things would start to move post-winter meetings," Maeda said, "so I didn't expect anything to get rolling this early on. At the same time, that made me feel extremely happy. ... They've seen me within the division multiple times, so it's very encouraging when a team like that sees value in what I've done."
Signing a two-year contract was important to Maeda for two reasons: He cares about being a part of a team across multiple seasons, and he has a personal goal of reaching 10 years of MLB service time, thus becoming fully vested in MLB's pension plan. He currently has eight years of service time.
BEFORE THE DEAL HAPPENED: Signing free-agent pitcher Kenta Maeda would help Tigers in more ways than one
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This was Maeda's first time fully experiencing MLB free agency.
He came out of Japan via the posting system and signed an eight-year, $25 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 2016 (and was traded to the Twins in February 2020). He had performance bonuses for starts and innings as part of the deal that transferred millions from the Dodgers to the Hiroshima Carp in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. But the Dodgers often moved him to the bullpen, and as a result, Maeda didn't cash in.
"The previous long contract that I signed was what somewhat unique, if you will," Maeda said, "and this two-year deal is more of a normal contract."
For his first eight seasons, including a year lost to recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022, Maeda received $3.125 million per season as a base salary. He added $25.4 million of a potential $81.2 million in bonuses throughout the duration of his first contract in the big leagues.
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Maeda was eager to learn about his market value in free agency this offseason, and he was excited when he realized how much the Tigers valued him. His new contract, negotiated by Boras, guarantees $14 million in 2024 and $10 million in 2025.
"One scoop of Detroit is great, but two scoops is a lot better," Boras said Thursday. "It's really a cone. ... He has a lot to offer to the core of a building team."
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) gets pulled from the game in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.
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The Tigers would like a scoop of anything good, considering they haven't tasted a winning season since 2016. They're hungry to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2014.
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President of baseball operations Scott Harris , who was hired in September 2022, is counting on Maeda to help win games and mentor young pitchers . Those young arms include Tarik Skubal , Casey Mize , Matt Manning , Reese Olson and Sawyer Gipson-Long , plus top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe.
"We have a lot of stuff in the rotation," Harris said Tuesday. "Now, I hope that we can lock in our command. Watching Kenta work, I hope our young starters notice that command, sequencing and using the whole zone can really allow your entire mix to play up."
Maeda is ready to take on a leadership role.
"If anyone has questions, not just young players, hopefully I have an answer," Maeda said. "I'd love to share my experiences and stories with the unique career from my days playing in Japan. I have a lot of routines that I go through. ... It won't go one way. I intend on learning from them. I feel like there's a lot I can take away from being around the young guys, as well."
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Boras said first baseman Spencer Torkelson , whom he took to lunch Wednesday, expressed excitement about Maeda's arrival because of his postseason experience. Boras also said he wants two of his other clients — Skubal and Manning — to soak up Maeda's pitching knowledge.
Here's what Boras told Harris at the beginning of free agency: "Everyone knows about Kenta the pitcher, but Kenta's leadership and what he's done to help many of the players and the starters, he has an innateness about him for pitching skill and being able to evaluate the strengths of a teammate and a pitcher and transfer that to encourage him and really get him to focus on his strengths. That's something he has really been great about in his career."
WHAT TIGERS WANT: Tigers expect veteran Kenta Maeda to help young pitchers 'lock in our command'
Behind the scenes, Maeda is a beloved teammate and respected in the clubhouse. On the field, he is trying to recapture his previous form after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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Elbow surgery in September 2021 kept Maeda sidelined until April 2023. He posted a 4.23 ERA with 28 walks and 117 strikeouts over 104⅓ innings in 21 games (20 starts) last season, but it was a year featuring sharply differing outcomes. In April, he posted a 9.00 ERA — 16 earned runs in 16 innings — before a triceps strain sent him to the injured list. Upon his return in late June, he had a dominant 3.36 ERA with 25 walks and 103 strikeouts over 88⅓ innings in his final 17 games.
He ranked in the 78th percentile in walk rate (6.5%), 77th percentile in strikeout rate (27.3%), 76th percentile in chase rate (31.2%) and 66th percentile in whiff rate (28.2%).
"Since around June, I think I've come back pretty strong," Maeda said. "Velocity has creeped up to pre-surgery, so that's very encouraging. Everything tracked along very well."
Maeda has plenty of history with the Tigers, too.
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He owns a 3.38 ERA in 11 starts against the Tigers and a 3.44 ERA in six starts at Comerica Park. He started three games against the Tigers last season, including his return from the injured list. He performed well in all three starts, but 23-year-old Riley Greene hit a home run off him in two of the games.
Now, the veteran Maeda joins the young Tigers in pursuit of a long-standing goal he hasn't been able to capture in his career, despite six postseason appearances.
"Plain and simple, I want to become a World Series champion," Maeda said. "That's one accomplishment that I would like to achieve. And then, going through Tommy John and the comeback season there were some ups and downs, both good and bad. I feel like I have another gear as a pitcher, and that's something I feel like I can work hard and achieve."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' young core already appeals to veteran Kenta Maeda
