The Cubs are signing veteran righty Kenta Maeda to a minor league contract, as first reported by Japanese news outlet Daily Sports. Cubs skipper Craig Counsell confirmed the signing to the team’s beat today (link via Vinnie Duber for the Chicago Sun-Times). Maeda, a Boras Corporation client, was released by the Tigers last week.
“He has had success,” Counsell said of Maeda today. “He’s struggled. … It’s a player you’ve got to have constant conversations with and see where we can make some adjustments and see where he’s at.”
Maeda, 37, has a lengthy big league track record of success. He signed with the Dodgers via the MLB/NPB posting system ahead of the 2016 season and spent the next four years with Los Angeles, pitching to a sharp 3.87 ERA in 589 innings between the Dodgers’ rotation and bullpen.
In the 2019-20 offseason, the Twins sent righty Brusdar Graterol and outfielder Luke Raley to the Dodgers in exchange for Maeda and catching prospect Jair Camargo. Maeda was sensational for Minnesota in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, firing 66 2/3 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with a 32.3% strikeout rate and 4.3% walk rate. His got out to a sluggish start in 2021, however, and wound up requiring Tommy John surgery. That procedure knocked out his entire 2022 campaign.
Maeda returned to the Twins for the 2023 season — the final year of his original eight-year pact with the Dodgers. It was an uneven year, with Maeda stumbling early and hitting the injured list again after serving up 10 runs to the Yankees in late April. He returned a triceps injury in June and looked very much like the 2020 version of himself; in his final 88 2/3 innings that year, Maeda pitched to a 3.36 ERA with a 29% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate.
Entering the 2023-24 offseason, Maeda appeared a strong candidate for a multi-year deal. The Tigers signed him to a two-year, $24MM contract that seemed eminently reasonable given his strong finish to the ’23 season and his broader track record of success. Instead, it proved to be a misstep.
Maeda ate 112 1/3 innings for the Tigers in 2024 but struggled considerably as a starter. Detroit moved him to the bullpen in early July, and Maeda quietly turned his season around, at least to an extent. He made a dozen appearances as a long reliever over the next couple months, pitching to a 3.86 ERA with a 23.8% strikeout rate and 4.1% walk rate in 42 innings.
It was a nice run of quality contributions from a right-hander who is plenty familiar with that sort of long relief/swingman role. The Tigers gave him one final start in late September, and Maeda was tagged for five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Overall, Maeda finished the 2024 season with a grisly 6.09 earned run average.
Spring training 2025 brought reason for some cautious optimism. Maeda’s 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings wasn’t much to look at, but he posted a gargantuan 39.7% strikeout rate against a microscopic 1.7% walk rate. That, coupled with some health troubles elsewhere in the rotation, earned Maeda another chance to carve out a role on Detroit’s staff.
It didn’t go well.
Maeda was deployed as a multi-inning reliever and yielded runs in four of his seven appearances. By the time the Tigers designated him for assignment, he was sitting on a 7.88 ERA with a career-low 18.6% strikeout rate and a career-worst 14% walk rate. He’s never been a hard thrower, but this year’s 90.2 mph average fastball is a career-low.
The Cubs’ rotation at the moment is quite banged up. Justin Steele is out for the year after undergoing UCL surgery. Shota Imanaga is on the 15-day injured list due to a hamstring strain. Javier Assad opened the year on the IL with an oblique strain, began a rehab assignment late last month, and was pulled back after experiencing renewed discomfort. Subsequent imaging revealed a Grade 2 oblique strain. He’s on the 60-day IL and won’t return anytime soon. The Cubs’ rotation currently includes Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, Ben Brown and top prospect Cade Horton.
Maeda is hardly a guarantee to bolster the staff, whether as a starter or long reliever, but there’s little harm in the Cubs taking what amounts to a free look at the seasoned right-hander. The Tigers are on the hook for Maeda’s $10MM salary this year, minus the prorated portion of the $780K MLB minimum for any time he spends on another team’s big league roster. For now, it seems likely that Maeda will head to Triple-A and look to get back on track. He could be an option if Chicago needs a spot start or some length in the bullpen within the next few weeks.
Thats what I’m tawkin bout
Yeah I definitely like it for my Cubies!
Nothing to lose, he works out great, he doesn’t release him and keep it moving.
Maybe the Cubs can unlock something that the Tigers couldn’t.
Games. The Cubs have something to lose it’s games he pitches.
I think the Cubs are less worried about losing games than the Cards, Joel.
The Cubs have a whole 1 game lead for the division at the moment. That doesn’t scream unstoppable powerhouse does it?
Stick to your Cardinal page. This one’s over your head.
Should be the AAA replacement for Horton
This is a terrible idea.
The Cubs are very thin prospect-wise at AA and high-A. So at AAA they are doing semi-bullpen games right now, Keegan Thompson started yesterday. They just need people who can throw four AAA innings to try and save the bullpen.
No they’re not. And has anybody except me seen enough of Merryweather yet?
They have three of their AAA starters on the AAA IL (including Birdsell) and Horton and Flexen are in Chicago. They still need to play six games a week down there.
And yes, we can say goodbye to Merryweather… Pitching the 9th in a 13-3 game after an off day means you are last on the totem pole.
They have Noland and Wicks and Horton will be back there soon. They have Franklin and Clarke on the 7 day IL. They picked up bums Romero and Solomon last week. Now they just signed another bum in Maeda. they have Armstrong, Hull, Sanders, Wiggins and Santos now at AA. Armstrong could be moved up. Cubs like Kachmar, I don’t but it is what it is. So unless you watch them pitch, I wouldn’t make statements like that.
The best thing about this whole thread is that we are discussing the good or bad about probably the 60th to 70th guy on the depth chart now and if he gets to the majors and helps, great. And if he doesn’t—that’s great, too.
This will either be totally insignificant (most likely) or will again highlight how important accumulating assets for all the levels may be in a long, long season.
Wiggins just got to AA, it’s unlikely that they will rush him to AAA. I expect that they will move Hull and Sanders up around the time of the draft.
When Franklin, Clarke, and Horton return to the Iowa rotation, the various bums will likely be shown the door.
You have one of the few sensible takes Mike!
He’s a season ticket holder so not so much. LOL Unless you meant me of course.
Merryweather for a rosin bag and bat donut, going once…….he is starting his imploding again as we speak
Always liked him as a pitcher. Hope the Cubs can help him turn back the clock a bit.
Madea goes to the Windy City
He’s completely washed. Cubs are delusional thinking they can get anything out of him.
There’s no risk. Toss him in a non-leverage situation, or put him down on the farm, and see if he has anything left. If he gets lit up, show him the door.
The next Koji Uehara.
Wth does Counsell even mean with that comment? He’s suggesting Maeda is some kind of mentally challenge kid who doesn’t know how to communicate himself effectively? Counsell fails to impress me as a player’s manager.
Koji Uehara wasn’t a good SP but was an immediate success as a RP. Uehara only walked batters as needed strategically. Kenta Maeda is not in that area code.
OMG!
It’s happening
Here we go!!!
Maeda you’ll do awesome in Chicago!
Wow. Cubs are desperate.
Thought the Dodgers might give him a look on a minors league deal. His wild first contract was a Friedman brainchild.
Maeda seems about as done as done can be, but there is no harm in this. He can eat innings in Des Moines.
Tommy Hottivy is quietly one of the better pitching coaches in mlb. He might find something. if not. no harm, no foul.
He’s cheap so this is an easy call to make if he doesn’t work out.
Exactly. It’s a low risk, possible moderate reward move. See what he has left. If it fails then you move on. Then go on to the next one.
Kenta Maed a deal
Kenta is a Maed Man.
Why do you want a player that is all used up when you could have someone who might learn and be able to help you at the major league level. If the Tigers staff could not get him to improve then I think he is done. He might have worked a little with a low win team but not a contender.
Who would you suggest?
Surprised BAL passed on him. They just need bodies at this point, and Maeda checks that box if nothing else.
I hope the Cubs get as many good innings as Detroit did this season from him!
Jed being desperate, if they miss the playoffs, he’s dogmeat
I hope he’s dogmeat regardless. Throw him in a pit with the biggest dogs available.