DETROIT — Kenta Maeda is returning to Japan after his release from the Tigers, choosing a new team rather than reuniting with the club where he became a star.
Maeda, 37, agreed to a two-year contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball last week.
Before heading to Major League Baseball, Maeda pitched for eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp. Many fans expected he would return there to end his career after his U.S. tenure came to a close.
But in a social media post to fans, Maeda answered honestly: Because of his recent performance, he did not have an offer to return to the Carp.
“Being judged as not needed by my former team is, of course, disappointing, but it is also proof that the younger pitchers are working hard and raising the level of the team,” Maeda wrote, according to an AI-aided English translation of the post. “So I do not want anyone to think badly of the Carp organization. This is the professional world.”
Maeda wrote that he knew it might make some uncomfortable to address the fans of his old team before signing with a new club, but “by writing this post, I feel I can finally move forward and take the next step with a positive mindset. To the Carp players and fans, let’s meet in the Japan Series.”
Maeda signed a two-year, $24 million deal with Detroit before the 2024 season and began the year in the starting rotation. But he was bounced to the bullpen last July after months of inconsistency.
He appeared in just seven games for the Tigers in 2025 before being released, posting a 7.88 ERA over eight innings with six walks, eight strikeouts, three hit batters and two wild pitches.
His final MLB appearance as a Tiger — and, as it turned out, his final appearance in the majors — came on April 29, when he threw a scoreless inning at Houston.
Maeda came to the United States in 2016 after an outstanding tenure in Japan. He spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before being traded to the Minnesota Twins after the 2019 season.
Maeda finishes his MLB career with a 68-56 record and 4.20 ERA in 986 innings. He struck out 1,055.
Only two Japanese pitchers have more strikeouts in MLB history: Yu Darvish (2,075) and Hideo Nomo (1,918).
“Playing baseball in the United States from 2016 to 2025 has been a dream come true and a decade full of unforgettable moments for which I’m deeply grateful,” Maeda wrote last month. “I’m incredibly thankful for all the amazing teammates, staff, and fans I’ve met along the way, and those connections mean the world to me.”