TAMPA – Masahiro Tanaka has yet to throw a major league pitch, but teams here already are preparing for what’s next.
There is a discrepancy in expectations about whether Hiroshima Carp righty Kenta Maeda will be posted next offseason. Those who think he is coming note there was strong consideration to do it this past winter. Those who don’t note he has four more years of team control and the change in the posting system — which offers less dollars for Japanese clubs — make it less attractive to make the top players available to major league clubs.
Nevertheless, his talent dictates that MLB teams will be scrutinizing closely. With Tanaka now gone, the season will begin with Maeda and Tomoyuki Sugano of the Yomiuri Giants viewed as the best starters in Japan.
Maeda is likened to a young Koji Uehara, Boston’s closer who was mainly a starter in his Japanese years. Maeda, who turns 26 in April, is viewed as an extreme strike thrower with a variety of stuff and a strong feel for how to use his repertoire.
He was 15-7 with a 2.10 ERA for Hiroshima last season. In six years with the club, Maeda is 71-50 with a 2.41 ERA.