Maeda's deal with Dodgers could top $100M

Kenta Maeda is officially coming to North America.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of the Japanese right-hander to an eight-year contract on Thursday.

"Today is an exciting day for the Dodgers organization," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters. "To add a player of Kenta's caliber is something that after we spent a lot of time evaluating him, getting to know him, we are excited to add him to our group not just in 2016 but for the foreseeable future."

The deal, which is full of incentives, could be worth $106.2 million if he stays healthy.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports Maeda is guaranteed $25 million. He'll earn $3 million per season for eight years, with a $1-million signing bonus, and the contract does not include an opt-out or no-trade clause.

On top of the money being given to Maeda, Los Angeles will also pay his former club, the Hiroshima Carp, a $20 million release fee.

After agreeing to a long-term contract with Maeda on New Year's Eve, issues surrounding his throwing elbow reportedly arose during his physical. However, Shakin reports the physical wasn't performed by the Dodgers, but was instead one Maeda took and submitted to teams prior to hitting free agency, which ended up limiting his amount of potential suitors.

Maeda acknowledged during a press conference on Thursday there were indeed issues with his physical, which likely was the reason for a drop in the overall value of the contract.

"During my physical there were some irregularities that surfaced that was factored into the contract that I signed," Maeda said. "Despite the fact that there were some irregularities found in the physical, the Dodgers made the decision to make a long-term commitment to me and that was meaningful to me, so I decided to make a long-term commitment to the organization."

The hurler was widely considered to be the best pitcher available in Japan after going 15-8 with a 2.09 ERA in 29 starts across 206 1/3 innings pitched with the Carp in 2015. He provides the Dodgers with a right-handed option in a starting rotation that's left-handed heavy.

Maeda posted a 97-67 record with a 2.39 ERA across eight seasons in Japan, and won two Sawamura Awards as the country's top pitcher.

- With files from The Associated Press