CHICAGO -- The Cubs are giving veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda an opportunity to see if he can extend his career.
On Friday morning, Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged that the team is in the process of signing the 37-year-old Maeda to a Minor League contract. The move is not yet official, but the righty is expected to be joining Triple-A Iowa soon.
“He has had success. He’s struggled,” Counsell said. “He’s on a Minor League contract. I think it’s a player that we’ve got to have constant conversations with and see where we can maybe make some adjustments and see where he’s at.”
The Tigers designated Maeda for assignment earlier this month after the right-hander endured a rocky two-season tenure in Detroit. The American League Central club is on the hook for the remainder of Maeda’s $10 million salary for ‘25, which is the second season under the two-year, $24 million pact he signed in November of ‘23.
This season, Maeda posted a 7.88 ERA with eight strikeouts and six walks in seven relief appearances, while averaging 90.2 mph on his four-seamer, per Statcast. He was signed as a rotation piece, but logged a 7.26 ERA in his first 16 starts in ‘24 before the Tigers moved him to the bullpen.
Maeda posted a 6.21 ERA in 36 games (17 starts) across the 2024-25 seasons with Detroit, striking out 104 and walking 37 in 120 1/3 innings. The righty leans heavily on a splitter, fastball and sweeper/slider mix and has turned in a 4.20 ERA in his MLB career in parts of nine seasons with the Dodgers, Twins and Tigers.