Former Dodgers Standout Pitcher Surprisingly Cut By AL Powerhouse

An old friend recently became available. Could the Dodgers be interested?

On Thursday, the Detroit Tigers designated longtime big league pitcher Kenta Maeda for assignment. Maeda had been with the Tigers since 2024. On the year, Maeda has an alarming 7.88 ERA. He's given up seven earned runs and nine hits in eight innings.

The 37-year-old now hits the market in search of a new home.

We have recalled RHP Tyler Owens from Triple-A Toledo to join the first major league roster of his career. Owens will wear uniform #62.

RHP Kenta Maeda has been designated for assignment.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) May 1, 2025

It's been no secret that the Dodgers have already had issues with pitcher health in 2025. Moves have been constantly made shuttling pitchers to-and-from the IL. From relievers to starting pitchers, it's actually astounding that Los Angeles is tied with the New York Mets for the most wins in the league as of May 2.

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Maeda broke into the big leagues with the Dodgers in 2016. As a starter, Maeda spent the first four years of his career in L.A. before moving to the Minnesota Twins. One could make the case he had his prime years at Chavez Ravine. As a rookie, Maeda won 16 games. He won 13 games the next year, and 10 in his final season with the ballclub.

More recently with the Twins and the Tigers, Maeda has morphed more into a spot starter/long reliever. His most recent stint in Detroit was rough when using the eye test and also analyzing the underlying analytics.

Kenta Maeda has been DFA'd by the Detroit Tigers.

Maeda previously pitched for the Dodgers from 2016-2019 and logged 614 strikeouts across 137 appearances.

Would you welcome him back in LA at 37-years-old? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ashZBwLigU
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) May 2, 2025

Maeda's four-seam fastball is only averaging 90.2 miles per hour at this point in his career. As a result, he's heavily relying upon an off-speed repertoire including a splitter, slider, sweeper, curve, sinker, and even a cutter.

It's unknown as to whether a change of scenery could help Maeda reset, or if his stuff simply isn't up to par anymore. Detroit has a very pitcher-friendly park — which isn't necessarily a good sign given Maeda's numbers this year.

At the same time, he has familiarity with the Dodgers and the front office surely would be comfortable with him. It'll be interesting to see whether Andrew Friedman opts to kick the tires on Maeda rather than sticking with the current slate of pitchers at his disposal.

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For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.