Tigers To Give Kenta Maeda Every Opportunity To Earn Back Role In Rotatio

was the Tigers biggest signing of the 2023-24 offseason, but his tenure in Detroit got off to a disappointing start. Kicking off the first season of a two-year, $24MM deal, he gave up three long balls and six runs over 3 1/3 innings in his Tigers debut. It was more of the same acro s his first 16 starts: 65 2/3 innings, 15 home runs, and a 7.26 ERA. Detroit went 5-11 in those contests. While his 4.88 SIERA suggested he was due for some positive regre sion, it still put him among the bottom 10 pitchers (min. 60 IP) in the American League. Thus, just before the All-Star break, the Tigers decided to move Maeda to the bullpen indefinitely although not nece sarily permanently. Indeed Ozzie Albies Jersey , he still took on a starters workload in several of his bullpen appearances, throwing at least 80 pitches out of the pen on four separate occasions. He also started the final game of the regular season after the Tigers had already clinched a Wild Card berth. Now, hes back in the conversation for a role in the starting rotation in 2025. President of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke to members of the media (including ) at the GM Meetings in San Antonio, where he made it clear that Maeda will have every opportunity to earn a job in the Tigers rotation this spring. The POBO acknowledged that Maedas pure stuff and pitchability were lacking early in the year but noted that the veteran looked much stronger in the summer months. I thought he pitched pretty well down the stretch for us, Harris explained. Indeed, Maeda put up much better numbers out of the bullpen, pitching to a 3.86 ERA and 3.23 SIERA over 42 innings in July, August, and September. However, he struggled once again upon his return to the rotation for game 162, giving up five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. That final outing notwithstanding, it isnt surprising the Tigers are giving Maeda another chance to earn a starting role. With a $10MM salary for 2025, hes currently the highest-paid pitcher on the team. He also has a long track record of succe s as a starter, with a career 4.23 ERA and 3.91 FIP in 171 big league starts. Whats more, he was downright dominant in his last fully healthy season, putting up a 2.70 ERA and 2.92 SIERA in 2020 en route to a second-place finish for the AL Cy Young. Admittedly, that was several years ago and a shortened season, but the point remains that Maeda has been a highly succe sful starting pitcher in the not-too-distant past. Finally, the Tigers dont have any locks for the 2025 rotation beyond ace and promising young righty . Even if they make a couple of additions, there will be a battle for at least one spot in the rotation this spring. Harris that the team could have done a better job preparing Maeda last winter as he transitioned from the Twins to the Tigers. To that point, the Tigers have designed a new program for the right-hander this offseason. As part of that program, Petzold suggests Maeda will be throwing more regularly throughout the coming months; last year, he only threw one bullpen se sion back home in Japan before returning stateside for spring training. Its far from a guarantee that Maeda will re-claim his job in the rotation. Even if he does, its no sure thing hell stay there all year long. Hes going to turn 37 next April, an age at which it would be fair to worry about his performance even if he werent an injury-prone pitcher coming off a career-worst season. And now that the Tigers have officially entered their window of contention, they cant afford to give him as long of a leash as they might have in years past. If Maeda is going to be a key contributor for the Tigers next season, hes going to have to earn it by looking more like his younger self and le s like the starter he was in 2024. Travis D'arnaud Jersey