Report: Japanese ace Kenta Maeda will not be posted
The free-agent pool for starting pitchers just became more shallow.
Hiroshima Carp right-hander Kenta Maeda has reportedly been informed he will not be permitted to leave his Central League club for the MLB next season. The Japan Times reported the team will not make the 26-year-old available via the posting system.
Maeda, who is not eligible to become a free agent until after the 2017 season, was considered among the more desirable options in a weak starting pitcher class this winter. Potential suitors would have been required to ante up as much as $20 million to Carp just for Maeda's exclusive negotiating rights.
Maeda was among the league leaders in strikeouts, innings, wins and ERA in 2014, and projects as a mid-rotation arm in the majors. Most recently, he tossed five scoreless innings to blank the MLB All-Stars in the opener of the Japan tour last month.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were among several clubs who expressed interest in Maeda.