What to Make of Tigers' Signing of Pitcher Kenta Maeda

The Detroit Tigers have reportedly come to terms on a two-year deal worth $24MM with Kenta Maeda, a veteran right-hander who finished runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award in 2020 and spent four years with division rival Minnesota. Here’s a look at what Maeda brings to the Motor City.

A Look at Maeda

The Twins acquired SP Kenta Maeda in the winter of 2019 for a package that included current Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol and Rays INF/OF Luke Raley. It was a move that proved to be fruitful for Minnesota.

At the time of the deal, Maeda seemed poised to get more rope with the Twins after he swung back and forth between the Dodgers rotation and bullpen. He most certainly did and thrived, as Maeda (6-1, 2.70 ERA, 80 K over 66.2 IP) finished second in the 2020 AL Cy Young Award vote behind only Shane Bieber.

Things, however, went south in 2021. Maeda gave up more contact in 2021 and then went down to Tommy John surgery later on in the year. The veteran righty hoped to come back in 2022 but didn’t make his return until 2023.

Maeda’s numbers in 2023 actually looked quite similar to his career norms. The 35-year-old struck out 117 batters (10.1 K/9) and walked just 28 (2.4 BB/9) over 104.1 IP, roughly in line with his career averages of 9.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

Maeda’s arsenal still revolves around his split-change, a pitch he not only used more often but also threw significantly against both lefties and righties. That’s a stark change from 2019-20. However, it breaks down a great deal and will get a ton of whiffs.

Per Statcast, Maeda finished eighth in the Majors in total whiffs (100) off what it categorized as a splitter in 2023 and fourth in whiffs out of the zone (81).

Kenta Maeda whiff chart 2023 — It’s pretty easy to see the game plan. Fastballs up and splitters down and out of the zone to get hitters sitting on the heat. The thing with Maeda is that he has a lot going for him despite an average fastball. One is that he commands the splitter well, and the fact that he doesn’t get very predictable. Maeda threw the splitter on the first pitch (100) almost just as much as he did the fastball (128).

The new Tiger also makes heavy use of the slider. However, it’s a pitch that he will lose at times and hang. This past season, Maeda gave up 10 home runs in 144 PA off the slider.

Nonetheless, it’s not a secret what Maeda can do. The Tigers right-hander is a crafty righty who can throw off hitters’ timing with the splitter and slider, sits in the low-90s with a fastball that he’ll throw at any point in the count, and will make the occasional mistake from time to time despite good overall command.

Analysis

Detroit came into the offseason with a hole in the rotation thanks to what may be the departure of Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency. That left the Tigers with Reese Olson, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, and a lot of question marks.

Maeda’s not a dominant force by any means. However, he’s proven to be a steady veteran hand who can get outs and be a #3 or a #4 for the Tigers come 2024.

Not to mention, the two-year deal gives the Tigers the ability to not rush young arms like Sawyer Gipson-Long, Ty Madden, and Jackson Jobe into MLB regulars.