Former Tigers Disappointment Dominates in Minor League Start With New Team

The Detroit Tigers have had a bit of a roller coaster season in terms of pitching injuries and inconsistency, however it has not kept them from being comfortably on top of the American League Central.

Earlier this year, the Tigers were faced with a roster decision which by the way things were going really was not much of a decision at all when they parted ways with disappointing veteran Kenta Maeda.

After signing a lucrative two-year deal two winters ago, Maeda was a complete flop and things were only getting worse.

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As the veteran struggled mightily even out of the bullpen, it became clear the sides needed to part ways, and that is what happened when Maeda was designated for assignment last month.

Though it went under the radar at the time, Maeda ended up signing a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. He has not made much noise until this weekend, but he had a massive performance in Triple-A Iowa.

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On Sunday, Maeda pitched seven scoreless innings with just one hit allowed, striking out three and walking three.

It was the first time since the 2020 season that Maeda has thrown at least seven scoreless innings in a game, and really the first time this season that he has shown any indication that he may still have something in the tank.

Despite what was a strong spring training that kept him initially on Detroit's roster, Maeda looked to be completely cooked once the regular season began.

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That very well still may be the case as the shutout performance only dropped his ERA on the season in seven Triple-A starts to a mark of 7.76, however if Maeda can string some more good starts together, it's not impossible that he could pitch for the Cubs this season.

As the Tigers struggle with injuries to their pitching staff, it's hard not to at least ask the question as to whether or not they made a mistake letting him go.

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In all likelihood, this will be a major outlier based on the way the rest of the season has gone. However it certainly is interesting to see such a strong start for Maeda.

Detroit fans will be keeping a close eye on the next several weeks to see if this was just a random burst of life, or if Maeda still has something left to give a big league team.

Whichever is the reality, the contract given by the Tigers to the veteran is one of their worst in recent memory.

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