Scott Harris just triggered Tigers fans with recent Kenta Maeda comments

It took barely any time at all for Kenta Maeda to prove that the Tigers had made a mistake signing him last offseason. In his Tigers debut against the White Sox, he was pulled after 3 1/3 innings, having given up six runs, including three homers. The lineup came back to bail out Maeda in extra innings, but it foreshadowed what would become, by far, the worst season of his career.

By mid-July, after 16 starts, a 7.26 ERA, and a 2-5 record, the Tigers had seen enough of Maeda as a starter and reassigned him to the bullpen, where he pitched 46 2/3 more innings before the season was over. His ERA improved (4.44 as a reliever), but it was far from enough to earn him a place on the Wild Card roster. He was also left off of the ALDS roster.

The Tigers don't like eating money — if they did, they would've let Javy Báez go by now — but Maeda added himself to the short list of players who fans would like to see unceremoniously dumped, even if it meant they'd still be getting paid.

But it doesn't look like the team has any plans to let Maeda go. At GM Meetings, Scott Harris said of Maeda's future with the team: "He's going to compete for a spot in our rotation. We have a lot of starters that are coming to camp expecting to compete for a job. Kenta at his best will have every opportunity to earn a job in our rotation."

Sorry Tigers fans, it doesn't look like Kenta Maeda is going anywhere in 2025

After the Tigers' exit from the ALDS, Harris said in his first offseason press conference that both Báez and Maeda still had places on the team. At the time, we were hopeful that he might just be saying that because he had to, and before the front office could confer and seriously talk about what the roster might look like next year.

Harris sticking by Maeda now, though, when the gates are open for deals to be made and contracts to be signed, does render that hope futile. The jury might still be out on Báez, but it seems like Maeda will still get the $10 million he's owed next season while struggling to contribute on the mound.

Fans want the Tigers to be aggressive with signings, especially for the rotation, and it doesn't bode well if they're going to wait until spring training to see if Maeda is really up to snuff. The team should dump him and clear up the roster spot for a free agent starter or reliever, but it looks like that isn't going to happen (unless this is all lip service from Harris).