Kenta

Maeda

It will be interesting to see if the Tigers give Maeda more responsibility as a reliever this year than they did last season, when he was effective but almost always a low-leverage guy after losing his rotation spot. He might work out nicely as a setup man if given the chance.

That’s one less arm standing in the way of top prospect Jackson Jobe cracking the Opening Day rotation, though he’ll still need to beat out Keider Montero for that final spot. Maeda has registered a 5.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and an impressive 19/1 K/BB ratio over 12 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League action this spring. It seems like his days of fantasy relevancy are likely over.

All three homers were wind-aided, and they probably would have produced two flyouts and a double on another day. Factoring that in, this rates as another fine outing for Maeda, who struck out five and walked none. He has a 19/1 K/BB in 12 2/3 innings this spring, and he’s still very much in the running with Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe for two spots in Detroit’s rotation.

It sure looks like it’ll come down to Maeda, Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe for two spots in the Detroit rotation. It probably helps Maeda that the Tigers keep bringing in veterans for the pen; that’s where he’ll end up if he fails to make the rotation, while the other two would likely to go to Triple-A instead and help alleviate the roster crunch.

Maeda fanned five and walked none before surrendering three runs in his final inning of work. Management probably won’t hold that against him. Maeda’s stock is still up a bit since the beginning of camp.

The Tigers don’t seem concerned about the need for an injection, and Cobb is scheduled to play catch again on Wednesday. Obviously, needing an injection to “aid” in the recovery process because the hip isn’t healing enough on its own is not a great sign. Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Kenta Maeda are all getting longer looks at rotation spots with Cobb delayed.

Maeda averaged 92.4 mph with his fastball today. It’d be quite a story if that held up, considering that Maeda’s MLB-best average fastball velocity for a season was 92.1 mph in 2019. He’s been at 90.5-91 mph each of the last three seasons. With Alex Cobb going down, Maeda has a very good chance of claiming one of two openings in Detroit’s rotation.

It’s the first time Cobb has thrown since being shut down earlier this month with hip inflammation. The 37-year-old veteran figures to be racing the clock if he’s going to be ready in time for Opening Day. If he’s unable to go, it would likely be some combination of top prospect Jackson Jobe in addition to veterans Casey Mize and Kenta Maeda, among others, vying to replace him in Detroit’s rotation.

The 36-year-old right-hander was moved to the bullpen in early July and spent the rest of the year functioning mainly in a bulk innings role. Maeda ultimately registered a troublesome 6.09 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 96/31 K/BB ratio over 112 1/3 innings in 29 appearances (17 starts) on the season. While the Tigers would like him to win a job, poor performance during the spring or in April could lead to another quick hook or ultimately his removal from the roster altogether.

The team has allegedly laid out some changes they would like Maeda to make in the offseason, presumably to help ensure better arm health, and that could give him a better chance of providing value to the team in 2025. The Tigers have plenty of options for the starting rotation next year with Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Keider Montero, and Jackson Jobe. It appears that Maeda will at least have a chance to claim one of those spots with a good spring training.