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Report: Kenta Maeda posted by Hiroshima Carp

By Jason Evans

Oct 16, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a glove and baseball during batting practice prior to game one of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a glove and baseball during batting practice prior to game one of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kenta Maeda will be pitching in the U.S. next season.

This year’s free-agent starting pitching class is pretty deep. Deeper than it’s been in most recent years. David Price just signed his megadeal with the Boston Red Sox. Jordan Zimmermann got a huge contract with the Detroit Tigers. Zack Greinke will cash in soon. So will Johnny Cueto. You can add another name to that list.

According to a report from Yahoo Japan, star Japanese Pitcher Kenta Maeda of the Hiroshima Carp will be posted for free agency by the club. For the Carp last season, he went 15-8 with a 2.09 ERA. Maeda is not a big strikeout guy. He struck out 175 in 206.1 innings pitched. That doesn’t mean he won’t strike out a lot of guys in the U.S. Just check out his change-up.

Maeda will turn 28 years old in April, so he’s younger than guys like Price, Greinke, Cueto and Zimmermann. He also won’t cost a draft pick, unlike Greinke if he leaves the Dodgers.

As a long as a team is willing to pay the $20 million posting fee, once the posting is official, they have 30 days to try and make a deal him.

Maeda won his second straight Sawamura Award, which is Japan’s Cy Young Award. Here is his ERA every year since 2010:

2010: 2.21

2011: 2.46

2012: 1.53

2013: 2.10

2014: 2.60

2015: 2.09

Maeda is the biggest pitcher to come over to the US from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka got a seven year deal worth $155 million with an opt-out after next season. Maeda could find himself getting a similar, if not bigger deal.

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