Rather than break the bank to re-sign Zack Greinke, the Los Angeles Dodgers elected to bolster their pitching depth, which included signing veteran left-hander Scott Kazmir and Japanese native Kenta Maeda.
Combined, the two pitchers signed for $73 million — or $133.5 million less than what Greinke received in his six-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It should be noted however, Maeda can earn nearly $100 million over the lifetime of his eight-year deal by reaching incentives based on starts and innings pitched.
While Maeda established himself as a premier pitcher over eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp, there were some question marks surrounding his transition to the Majors.
Most notably is if Maeda’s elbow will hold up after a physical revealed some irregularities, which led to him signing for the lower-than-expected guarantee of $25 million.
If the results of Maeda’s first Spring Training are any indication of what’s to come, the Dodgers have themselves a reliable starter. Maeda spoke positively of his first camp after Sunday’s outing, per ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“Overall, I feel good and the results are good too, so I am happy with the camp,” Maeda said through an interpreter.
Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke highly of the club’s expected No. 3 starter:
“He is as good if not better than advertised,” Roberts said. “The way he prepares — and his transition to this point — has been seamless. The communication with the catchers and pitch execution, all that stuff has been a pleasure.”
Maeda threw 5.1 innings on Sunday — making it the longest start turned in by a Dodgers pitcher during Spring Training this year. He was charged with three runs (two earned) and notched five strikeouts for a second consecutive time.
Maeda said during an in-game interview with Alanna Rizzo on SportsNet LA he had some dead skin on his right index finger that he removed, and dismissed any concern over a potential blister. He added one of the biggest surprises with pitching in the Majors is media access to the clubhouse, as that’s not permitted in Japan.
Overall, Maeda finished with a 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 19 innings over five starts. Nearly one month later, Yasmani Grandal’s comparing Maeda to Greinke doesn’t seem outlandish given the arsenal and command the Japanese native regularly displayed.
