Cubs sign Kenta Maeda to minor-league deal
The Chicago Cubs signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor-league contract, manager Craig Counsell confirmed Friday.
"He has had success. He's struggled. ... It's a player you've got to have constant conversations with and see where we can make some adjustments and see where he's at," Counsell told Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Detroit Tigers released Maeda on May 7 after he posted a 7.88 ERA and 6.09 FIP in eight innings this season.
The 37-year-old is expected to make a start as early as this week, reports Japanese baseball journalist Yuki Yamada, who didn't specify if Maeda's outing would be in the majors or minors.
Maeda has seen flashes of success in the majors, finishing second in American League Cy Young voting in 2020 while pitching for the Minnesota Twins and making an impact as a rookie with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016.
The Cubs' rotation ranks eighth in the majors in ERA, but starters Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Javier Assad are on the injured list for the NL Central's leading team.
Steele is out for the remainder of the 2025 season following elbow surgery in April.