MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers Sign Japanese Pitcher Kenta Maeda
The Los Angeles Dodgers have added another arm in their rotation as several reports are saying that the team has signed Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda to a deal. Maeda is currently the best pitcher to come from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka and Yu Darvish.
The agreement was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but both sides have not confirmed the deal although Maeda and his agent visited Dodger Stadium on Christmas Eve. The Dodgers must have paid a maximum of $20 million as a posting fee for Maeda's Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp.
Hearing from a baseball source, kenta maeda and dodgers are in agreement. No word on $. @DfineNrmLC all over this one
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 31, 2015
The estimated contract Maeda will receive is about $60 to $80 million for five years. The 28-year-old right-hander is projected to be just a mid-level starter rather than an ace in the major leagues. He relies heavily on his off-speed pitches, a curveball, and a changeup as he is not hard-thrower compared to Darvish and Tanaka.
Maeda's fastball reportedly clocks below the MLB average of 92 mph but has the stamina to eat innings for the Dodgers.
He also has won the Japanese Central League Pitcher of the Year the past two seasons and recorded 15 wins and a 2.09 ERA in the 2015 season. The Osaka-native has an impressive career record of 97-67 in eight seasons in the NBP with a 2.39 ERA and 1,233 strikeouts, per Baseball Reference.
Maeda is the second pitcher the Dodgers have signed to end the year after agreeing with free agent left-handed starter Scott Kazmir on Wednesday to a three-year, $48 million deal. The two joins Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation.
Los Angeles also has Alex Wood as a backup option if Ryu's shoulder problems resurface. Brandon McCarthy will open the season on the disabled list as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery and top prospect Julio Urias is projected to arrive in the middle of the season.
The addition of Maeda and Kazmir fills the big hole that Zack Greinke left when he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers had to settle with the two pitchers after missing out on all the big name pitchers including Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Jordan Zimmerman.
The LA Times noted that the Dodgers were also interested in free agent Wei-Yin Chen, but he is left-handed just like all the other Dodger starters. Chen is also two years older than Maeda and will cost the team a draft pick.
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