American League sleeper ramping up interest in former Cy Young finalist

The Detroit Tigers appear to be locked in on one particular veteran arm.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Friday that the Tigers’ pursuit of free-agent righty Kenta Maeda has intensified in recent days. Morosi notes that previous reports had stated that the Detroit has “serious interest” in Maeda this offseason.

Maeda, 35, was a Cy Young finalist for the Minnesota Twins during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he went 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 11 starts. This past season for the Twins, he posted a 6-8 record with a 4.23 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 20 starts.

At this juncture of his career, Maeda has a lot of tread on his tires. He pitched for almost a decade in Japan before joining MLB in 2016 and has a 2021 Tommy John surgery under his belt. But he still has good swing-and-miss stuff and an ability to eat innings as a reliable mid-rotation starter. That could prove useful for the Tigers, who sold off some pitching talent at last season’s trade deadline.