Former Dodgers Veteran Pitcher Signs Surprise Deal With Yankees

Jun 30, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) fields the ball in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda has signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, per the team's transactions log.

The 37-year-old Maeda started his MLB career with the Dodgers in 2016 after eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. His ERA overseas totaled just a 2.39 mark with over 1,500 innings of work.

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The Yankees are starved for starting pitching and could certainly benefit from someone like Maeda, but across just eight innings out of the bullpen for the Detroit Tigers this year, the right-hander has a 7.88 ERA.

Maeda was a completely different pitcher when he first put on a Dodgers uniform, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, while teammate Corey Seager took home the honor. Across 32 starts and 175.2 innings that season, Maeda tossed a 3.48 ERA to go along with 179 strikeouts to just 50 walks.

Although his average fastball speed of 90.6 mph ranked in just the 17th percentile among active pitchers that year, Maeda was one of the best in the game in terms of shrinking opposing exit velocity to just 85.7 mph on average, the 96th percentile in baseball.

During his sophomore season in LA, Maeda watched his ERA grow to 4.33 in 134.1 innings, being featured out of the bullpen briefly in addition to his 29 starts. On the road to helping his team secure a 2017 NL pennant, Maeda had an incredible postseason of pitching.

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The 2018 season was similar for Maeda, although getting his ERA to 3.82, his strikeout-to-walk ratio dropped. On the way to another pennant, Maeda allowed just one earned run in three World Series appearances out of the bullpen.

After a 4.04 ERA year in 2019, Maeda was traded to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2020 season and was there until the end of the 2023 season, and started the 2024 campaign as a member of the Tigers.

Upon his release from Detroit in May, Maeda landed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs, before being released last week.

Maeda will look to capture some former glory achieved through his nine years in MLB as his career appears to be in the final chapters.

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