After weeks of rumors and speculation, the Dodgers have finally officially announced the signing of 27-year-old Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda to an eight-year contract.

Maeda led the Japanese Central League with 15 wins in 2015 with the Hiroshima Carp, going 15-8 with a 2.09 ERA in 29 starts, to win his second career Sawamura Award, given to the league’s best pitcher. Maeda struck out 175 against just 41 walks, while posting a 1.01 WHIP and holding opposing batters to a .222 average.  He allowed just five home runs in 206.1 innings (0.2 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings) and limited right-handed hitters to a .160 batting average.

“We are excited to be bringing Kenta Maeda into the Dodger organization,” said Dodger President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman. “We have had the chance to scout him extensively in Japan and on the international stage and believe he has all the tools to be a successful Major League starting pitcher. We were honored to hear of his strong desire to be a Dodger and that only added to our motivation to bring him on board. We look forward to Kenta adding another chapter to the Dodgers’ global legacy and to him strengthening our ball club in the years ahead.”

Although Maeda acknowledged that there were some “irregularities” discovered in his elbow during his physical. he declined to comment on the specifics.
(Video capture courtesy of MLB.com)

In eight professional seasons with Hiroshima (2008-15), Maeda compiled a 97-67 record with a 2.39 ERA in 218 games (217 starts), including 28 complete games and 10 shutouts. During the course of his career, Maeda has posted a 1.05 WHIP and a 3.87 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing an average of only 0.6 home runs per 9.0 innings. In 2010, he won his first Sawamura Award, as he became the youngest pitcher in Japan baseball history to record a pitching triple crown with 15 wins (15-8), a 2.21 ERA and 174 strikeouts. Maeda has also been one of the top fielding pitchers in Japan, earning recognition as the best fielding pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball five times in the past six seasons (2010, 2012-15).

Maeda pitched for Team Japan in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where he was selected to the All-Tournament team after posting a 2-1 record with a 0.60 ERA and striking out 18 in 15.0 innings in three starts. He also faced Major League hitters during the 2014 Japan All-Star Series, when he allowed just two hits in 5.0 scoreless innings and picked up the win against a team of MLB All-Stars, which included Ben Zobrist, Robinson Cano, Evan Longoria and Yasiel Puig.

Maeda, who will wear uniform No. 18, will become the eighth Japanese player in Dodger history, joining Hideo Nomo (1995-98, 2002-04), Kazuhisa Ishii (2002-04), Masao Kida (2003-04), Norihiro Nakamura (2005), Dave Roberts (2002-04), Takashi Saito (2006-07) and Hiroki Kuroda (2008-11). The franchise’s ties with Japan date to 1956 when the Dodgers made their first of three post-season tours of the country (also: 1966 and 1993) and the club is widely credited for starting the influx of talent from Japan to the Major Leagues with the historic signing of Nomo in 1995.

The last Japanese born player to wear number 18 was Hiroki Kuroda
(Photo courtesy of @Dodgers)

Maeda (pronounced MAH-eh-da) will be introduced to the media today at a 1:00 p.m. press conference at Dodger Stadium.

To create room on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated infielder Ronald Torreyes for assignment.

(Article courtesy of Dodgers PR Department)