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Kenta Maeda an intriguing option for a number of MLB teams (Big League Stew)

We can add Kenta Maeda to the list of available free agent starting pitchers after the Hiroshima Carp finally agreed to post the 27-year-old right-hander.

Maeda had asked the Carp to allow him to explore major-league opportunities as far back as two years ago, but until now they had declined to do so.

Now that Maeda, ranked 21st in Jeff Passan's Ultimate Free-Agent Tracker, is on the market, there are sure to be a number of MLB teams that are intrigued enough by his talent to make a bid.

It'll cost $20 million for those teams to get a seat at the negotiating table – only the team that signs him has to part ways with their money, though – and as we saw with Masahiro Tanaka the bidding can get quite competitive.