Detroit Tigers Will Give Disappointing Signing Chance to Earn Spot in Rotation
The Detroit Tigers have entered a period after an unlikely run to the postseason and a Wild Card round victory over the Houston Astros where it looks like they are on the cusp of competing for a championship right now.
That was not the case for a large portion of the 2024 season, culminating at the trade deadline in a selling of assets and especially those on expiring contracts. One player that was not the case for was Detroit's big acquisition from last winter in the rotation, Kenta Maeda. With Maeda struggling tremendously in the first season of the two-year, $24 million deal the team gave him, he had to move into the bullpen as the season went on.
Maeda's numbers started to improve from the bullpen and he struggled once again when he got the chance to start the regular season finale, all of this beggining the question what kind of role he will have in 2025. While some may want to see Maeda - who will turn 37 in April - make a permanent move to the bullpen, president of baseball operations Scott Harris said he will absolutely get the chance to earn his spot back in the rotation.
"He's going to compete for a spot in our rotation," Harris said via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. "We have a lot of starters that are coming to camp expecting to compete for a job. Kenta at his best will have every opportunity to earn a job in our rotation...The best version of him is living on the black on both sides of the plate and throwing the strike-to-ball split. I don't think he really had those weapons or the pitchability early in the year, and he started to find it again in the summer."
All tolled on the season, Maeda finished 2024 with a 6.09 ERA and a strikeout rate that was the lowest of his career. Given that he is on the books for another $12 million and coming off the worst season of his career, trading him is not exactly an option.
The Tigers have nothing to lose by giving Maeda another shot to prove that he is the pitcher the team thought they were getting when they awarded him with the contract. If things go south again, a permanent move to the bullpen - or maybe even a complete parting of ways - could be in the cards for Maeda.
