Dodgers, Kenta Maeda reportedly agree to deal

Marc Lancaster

Dodgers, Kenta Maeda reportedly agree to deal image

The Dodgers couldn't land the big fish among free-agent starters this offseason, but they have bolstered their rotation with the next wave.

Los Angeles has agreed to a deal with right-hander Kenta Maeda of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, CBS Sports reports. Maeda's deal is reportedly for eight years and $24 million, plus incentives.

The moves comes a day after the Dodgers landed Scott Kazmir on a three-year, $48 million contract.

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Most observers had the Dodgers pegged as the favorites to win Maeda's services. He and Kazmir will slot in behind Clayton Kershaw in a rotation that needed help after Zack Greinke opted out of his contract and signed with the NL West-rival Diamondbacks.

They believed they had a deal earlier this offseason with Hisashi Iwakuma, but the veteran returned to the Mariners after the Dodgers raised concerns about his physical.

Maeda, who will turn 28 shortly after opening day, is 97-67 with a 2.39 ERA in 218 career appearances for Hiroshima. The Dodgers will have to pay his Japanese team a posting fee of about $20 million on top of whatever Maeda gets in salary.

Marc Lancaster

Marc Lancaster Photo

Marc Lancaster joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working closely with TSN for five years as an editor for the company now known as Stats Perform. He previously worked as an editor at The Washington Times, AOL’s FanHouse.com and the old CNNSportsIllustrated.com, and as a beat writer covering the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and University of Georgia football and women’s basketball. A Georgia graduate, he has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2013.