Add another talented arm to a well-stocked MLB free-agent pitching class.
Kenta Maeda, the Japanese right-hander who has received comparisons to countrymen Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka, will be posted by the Hiroshima Carp, according to multiple reports. It's expected that the posting fee will be set at the maximum of $20 million, Baseball America reported.
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Maeda, who will turn 28 in April, is widely considered one of the best pitchers in Japan. He had a 2.09 ERA in 206 1/3 innings and averaged 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings in his most recent season — the sixth straight year he has finished with an ERA under 2.60.
Maeda's much-anticipated posting will attract a number of suitors, especially those that lose out on Zack Greinke or Johnny Cueto.
As Baseball America notes, Maeda profiles more as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, with a fastball that ranges from 89 to 94 mph and an above-average slider. But it's possible he could be rewarded with a contract that approaches Tanaka's, who worked the competitive bidding process in 2014 to sign a $155 million deal with the Yankees.
Fox Sports reports the Diamondbacks, Yankees and Cubs are among teams with strong interest in Maeda.
