Tigers announce they have been designated as right-handed Kenta Maeda Make allocations. Right-handed Taylor Owens Has been recalled to take his place in an active roster. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported on Maeda's DFA ahead of the official announcement.
Maeda landed in Detroit for the 2024 season. The parties agreed to reach a two-year, $24mm deal in November 2023. In hindsight, it was obviously a move the Tigers hoped they could undone, despite the good logic at the time.
The veteran did not enter free agents with a lot of juice. He scored an average run of 4.66 in the 2021 twins and then missed the recovery from UCL surgery in 2022. He returned to the mound in 2023 and threw 104 1/3 innings, but midfielder 4.23 ERA.
Under the hood, there are more reasons for optimism. His 2023 season started well, but he performed well. He landed on the IL in late April due to a strained right triceps, sitting in the 9.00 era. In his last game before hitting the IL, he allowed ten runs in three innings. Given the subsequent IL appointment, it can be concluded that he is not right. He left the IL in June and then threw 88 1/3 innings with a 3.36 ERA, a 29% strikeout rate and a 7% walking rate.
For the Tigers, it seems like it has a chance to be a sneaky value game. That didn't pass at all. Maeda released 7.26 ERA in the first 16 games last year. His strikeout rate dropped to a paltry 17.1%. At that time, the tiger moved him to the cowshed, and he did make progress from there. He threw 46 2/3 innings with a strikeout rate of 4.44 ERA and 23.8% innings with a long-term relief role.
Throughout the winter, Baseball Action President Scott Harris said Maeda will have a chance to win a rotation position in 2025. However, the club eventually encountered his long-term relief role again Tarik Skubal,,,,, Jack Flaherty,,,,, Reese Olson,,,,, Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe Start the season.
Although Maeda has performed well from the pen last year, he hasn't brought it to this year. He has 7.88 ERA in eight innings. Some of this is due to low streaks, but his strikeout rate also dropped to 18.6%, and his batsman faced 14%. Manager AJ Hinch obviously doesn't want to use him, and Maeda only made six appearances in April. He did not compete twice for more than a week.
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