Former Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda waves white flag on MLB career with latest news

One-time Cy Young candidate and all-time Tigers flameout Kenta Maeda has had a disheartening 2025 season, to say the least. The Tigers finally decided to cut their losses and eat the rest of his salary for 2025 when they released him at the beginning of May, and he's since hopped over to the Cubs' minor league system (they released him in early August) and now the Yankees on another minor league deal.

He had a promising first start in Triple-A Scranton, but Tigers fans could've predicted the three-inning, 11-hit, 10-run start he made on Aug. 28 against the Syracuse Mets. New York definitely won't be calling him up anytime soon.

Maybe Maeda sees the writing on the wall, because he told Japanese news show Sports Real Live that he planned to leave MLB at the conclusion of the 2025 season and hoped to return to Japan's NPB, where he pitched eight seasons for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and won a Triple Crown in 2010 before making the move over to MLB.

He told Sports Real Live that he would've made the same decision even if he'd had a great year in MLB, but he'll have to forgive Tigers fans if we don't buy that.

Tigers contract bust Kenta Maeda announces intention to leave MLB after 2025 season

Maeda left Detroit with a 7.88 ERA over eight innings out of the Tigers bullpen, and now has a 6.25 ERA through 76 1/3 with the Cubs' and Yankees' Triple-A teams. He's shown occasional flashes of brilliance with the odd six- or seven scoreless appearance, but he's been far too volatile for anyone else to give him another chance at the major league level.

No matter how bad he was in Detroit, the team actually plucking up the courage to release him was a welcome surprise for fans. It would've been far more characteristic for the Tigers to just keep paying him only to barely ever use him and suffer through poor performance when they did — if it meant they wouldn't have to eat the money.

It was exciting for fans not only because Maeda needed to be off the roster, but because it was a sign that the Tigers were really in business this season, and the bullpen has become one of their greatest strengths over the last few months.

All the best to Maeda in his second go-around in NPB — hopefully it'll go better than his last few years in the majors.