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Former Dodgers Star Announces Retirement From MLB After 2025 Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 4:10 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had plenty of talented players take part in their postseason runs, as the organization has made twelve consecutive appearances (2013–2024), the third longest streak in MLB history.

Many of those players have gone on to find success with other organizations, but Dodgers fans will never forget the contributions former players made along the way to two World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.

The Dodgers have also featured some of the most talented Japanese baseball players during that stretch, with NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) standouts like Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all playing key roles.

During an appearance on TV Tokyo’s Sports Real Live, one of those Japanese stars, Kenta Maeda, announced that he will return to Japan at the end of the 2025 MLB regular season.

The 37-year-old right-hander said on Sunday, “This will be my last year in America,” confirming his intention to resume his career in Japanese baseball.

Maeda also revealed that he sent his family back to Japan and remained in the United States to play alone. “I told my family right away when I became a free agent [to go home]. To be honest, I didn't want to go to the minors. I'm not young anymore.”

Maeda’s current stint with the New York Yankees’ minor-league team followed a rough start to the season with the Detroit Tigers, who designated him for assignment.

Kenta Maeda's Dodgers Tenure

His most memorable seasons came as a member of the Dodgers, where he spent the first four years of his MLB career:

Best season came in 2016: third place in NL Rookie of the Year voting, 3.48 ERA, 16–11 record, 179 strikeouts
Best postseason came in 2017: nine appearances as a reliever, 0.84 ERA, helped lead Los Angeles to a World Series appearance

Maeda’s Dodgers tenure ended when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2020 season, where he found more success and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting.

He’s indicated that he plans to continue pitching in Japan if given the opportunity, but his MLB career will conclude after nine seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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