This post has been in the works for a while, as it was announced on New Years Eve that the Dodgers would be signing Kenta Maeda, the 27-year-old pitcher posted by the Hiroshima Carp.
The two-time Sawamura Award winner (NPB’s version of the Cy Young) gives the Dodgers the right-handed starter they lacked, and while he project to be as good as some previous Japanese pitchers, most conservative estimates peg him as a solid third or fourth starter.
Many figured he would not come cheap, as most projections figured he would get a contract similar to that of Mike Leake.