Another key piece of the Detroit Tigers’ offseason came together on Sunday evening, as Jon Heyman reported that the club will ink RHP Kenta Maeda to a two-year contract worth $24 million on Monday, pending a physical. Multiple national writers confirm Heyman’s lead report.
The Tigers and the 35-year-old Japanese starting pitcher have been linked all throughout the past week. However, the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins were still reportedly interested as well, so it didn’t seem like a lock that he was coming to Detroit. The Tigers hope that Maeda will help them as both a pitcher, a veteran presence, and perhaps as a bit of an ambassador to other top Japanese players to start considering the Detroit Tigers as a good landing spot when posted for MLB free agency.