Detroit Tigers Free Agent Bust Pitcher Predicted to Depart in Offseason
The Detroit Tigers are about to embark in an offseason mission to get better and build upon the team that made an improbable run to the postseason as the hottest team in baseball down the stretch, carrying that momentum into a Wild Card round victory as well.
In order to accomplish the goal of getting better and building on their accomplishments in 2024, as in every MLB front office at this time of year, difficult decisions will have to be made. Ironically, Detroit were sellers at the trade deadline and unloaded impending free agent Jack Flaherty largely due to the fact that he only signed a 1-year deal last offseason.
Unfortunately for the team however, they made the poor decision to give veteran right handed pitcher Kenta Maeda a 2-year deal, and he did not live up to his end of the bargain. In 29 appearances including 17 starts in 2024, Maeda posted the worst season of his career with a 6.09 ERA in 112.1 innings pitched. He did improve once he was moved to the bullpen, but was absolutely dreadful as a starter and is not getting any younger, turning 37 at the start of next season. Zachary Rotman of FanSided says the team cannot let Maeda keep pitching poorly just because of the fact that they made a mistake in signing him to a multi-year deal.
"At 36 years old, chances are, he won't magically turn things around," Rotman wrote. "It stinks to cut bait with a player set to make $10 million in the 2025 campaign, but the Tigers will owe him that money no matter what. They're better off letting him go than having him struggle as mightily as he did virtually the entire season."
Rotman also postulated the fact that the team could keep the veteran around strictly as a bullpen arm, but went on to say he likely won't even be one of the top eight options in that area and that better pitchers can be had this offseason.
If the team does in fact decide to let Maeda go, they will of course still have to pay him. But eating the cost of paying him what they signed him to may end up hurting less than actually rostering him and letting him pitch for the team in 2025.
