The Yankees have reportedly signed veteran pitcher Kenta Maeda. Yuki Yamada, who does Japanese-language reporting for MLB, writes that he’ll join the organization on a minor league deal.
Maeda had been released by the Tigers earlier this year after a disastrous two-year stretch with the team, pitching to a 6.20 ERA in 120.1 innings. He landed with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, where he pitched to a 5.97 ERA before being released on August 2nd.
The right-hander, 37, was once a dependable arm on the
Dodgers teams of the late 2010’s. Maeda posted a 3.87 ERA over four years in LA from 2016 to 2019, before heading to the Twins in a trade for Brusdar Graterol ahead of the 2020 season. He finished second in AL Cy Young Voting during the COVID-shortened season, but has declined since, flitting between injuries and ineffectiveness.
Maeda might just take Carlos Carrasco’s spot as the veteran arm stashed in Triple-A in case of emergency. Though he was once a solid starter, it’s been a couple of years since Maeda was effective at the major league level, and he’ll hopefully only have to fill a role as a depth arm.
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