"The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball have interest in acquiring veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, according to a report from Yahoo Sports Japan. Maeda, 37, indicated back in August that he plans to leave MLB and return to Japan for the 2026 season, where he hopes to find a role in NPB. The veteran's decision to leave MLB behind isn't exactly a surprise given how difficult the past two seasons have been for him."
"After he struggled to a 6.09 ERA in 112 1/3 innings of work with the Tigers in 2024, he failed to make the club's rotation out of Spring Training and opened the season as a long relief option out of the bullpen. He ultimately wound up making just seven appearances, however, and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits, six walks, a home run and three hit batsmen while striking out eight across eight innings of work."
"Since being released by Detroit, Maeda has pitched in the minor leagues for both the Cubs and Yankees this year. In 20 starts between those two organizations, he pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 100 innings at the Triple-A level, with a 19.5% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk rate. With that said, he did improve a bit during his stint with the Yankees' affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre,"
Kenta Maeda plans to leave MLB and return to Japan for the 2026 season, with the Yomiuri Giants showing interest. Maeda struggled over the past two seasons, posting a 6.09 ERA in 112 1/3 innings with the Tigers in 2024, failing to make the rotation, and allowing eight runs across eight innings in seven appearances before his release in early May that ended a two-year, $24MM deal. He then pitched in Triple-A for the Cubs and Yankees, totaling a 5.40 ERA in 100 innings with signs of improvement late in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and a five-scoreless-inning finale against Buffalo. Through age 35, Maeda owned a 3.92 ERA and 3.74 FIP in 866 1/3 major-league innings.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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