I'll give everything to the last team His former team is neither Hiroshima nor Yomiuri, dark horse Rakuten caught him with 68 ML wins, a multi-year contract that determines the success or failure of the recruitment match

Nov 21, 2025

I'll give everything to the last team His former team is neither Hiroshima nor Yomiuri, dark horse Rakuten caught him with 68 ML wins, a multi-year contract that determines the success or failure of the recruitment match
Maida, who took the mound for Detroit. Maeda, who was released from Detroit in May, decided to return to Japan after staying in the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees minor leagues. Photo Source = Kenta Maeda SNS



I'll give everything to the last team His former team is neither Hiroshima nor Yomiuri, dark horse Rakuten caught him with 68 ML wins, a multi-year contract that determines the success or failure of the recruitment match
Maida has 68 major league wins for the Dodgers, Minnesota and Detroit. Photo Source = Kenta Maeda SNS
It's not the old Hiroshima Carp or the Yomiuri Giants, but the Rakuten Eagles. Right-hander Kenta Maeda (37), who posted a '68 win' in the Major League, will return to Japan after 11 years in a Rakuten uniform. Japanese sports media, including Sports Hochi and Sankei Sports, reported on the 21st that Maeda's entry into Rakuten was imminent. He said he is in the process of adjusting the terms of the detailed contract.

Yomiuri, who brought Masahiro Tanaka (37) last winter, also jumped into the race to recruit Maeda. Yomiuri seemed likely to transfer, but Rakuten appeared as a dark horse. It attracted Maeda's heart by offering a total of more than 400 million yen for two years. Kazuhisa Ishii came to the front and moved. Yomiuri reportedly stuck to a one-year contract. Tanaka and Maeda are classmates who graduated from high school in 2007 and entered the professional league through the rookie draft.

Japanese media explain that Rakuten, which aims to win next year, needs an experienced pitcher. Tanaka 'Legends' left last winter with a discord, and veteran Takahiro Norimoto (35), who turned into a relief pitcher this year, may leave the team as an FA.




No pitcher has reached the stipulated inning in Rakuten this year. Masaru Fujii (29) pitched 109 ⅔ innings, which is the most innings in the team. The three were slightly over 100 innings. There is no double-digit win. Seven wins are the most in the team. Rakuten expects Maeda to serve as the centerpiece of the starting lineup. Maeda expressed confidence by saying, "This is better now than when I was in Japan."

B-Class (4th to 6th place out of 6 teams) for the fourth consecutive year so far this year. Rakuten has not won since winning the Pacific League and Japan Series in 2013, when Tanaka was active. Frequent replacement of coaches due to poor performance did not change the team's atmosphere. There was also no aggressive recruitment of players.

I'll give everything to the last team His former team is neither Hiroshima nor Yomiuri, dark horse Rakuten caught him with 68 ML wins, a multi-year contract that determines the success or failure of the recruitment match
Maida visited the Tokyo Dome where the Japanese national team played last year. He doesn't see Nihonham Kiyomiya taking a commemorative photo. Photo Source = Kenta Maeda SNS
He goes on a different path from his senior Hiroki Kuroda (50). Kuroda and Maeda started in Hiroshima and became the best pitchers in Japanese professional baseball. After playing as an ace, he entered the Major League and succeeded. There is a difference at the end of one's career.




Kuroda pitched 11 seasons in Hiroshima and moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. He recorded `79 wins' for seven years with the Dodgers and New York Yankees. He finished the last five seasons with double-digit wins. He returned to Hiroshima after shaking off the offer of $20 million in annual salary. Between 2015 and 2016, he retired after playing for two years. He led Hiroshima to the 2016 Central League championship. He added 21 wins in Hiroshima, recording a total of '203 wins in the U.S. and Japan. After Hideo Nomo, the U.S.-Japan team has won more than 200 games.

Maeda joined as a rookie in 2007 and won 97 wins in eight seasons until 2015. He has won double-digit wins for six consecutive years, won multiple victories twice, and won the Sawamura Award twice.

He moved to the Dodgers through posting in 2016 and went through the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. I had surgery on my right elbow in 2021. Unlike Kuroda, his ball power has fallen sharply since his mid-30s. He was released in May after throwing mid-off in Detroit. My
I'll give everything to the last team His former team is neither Hiroshima nor Yomiuri, dark horse Rakuten caught him with 68 ML wins, a multi-year contract that determines the success or failure of the recruitment match
Maida represented Japan at the WBC in 2013 and the Premier 12 in 2015. Sports Chosun DB
I stayed in your league team and decided to return to Japan. Hiroshima did not recruit Maeda.

Maeda has a record of "165 wins". He is aiming to win 200 games. He added "The next team to join is the last team of his career. I will give everything to win the championship." A return to Japan, a new team, and 200 wins will be a strong motivation.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.