Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kenta Maeda, who previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and other teams in Major League Baseball, held a press conference at Rakuten Mobile Park in Sendai on the 16th to announce his signing. number will be "18".

Several teams, including The Giants and Yakult, had been scouting the right-handed pitcher with 165 wins in his combined career in Japan and the US, but Maeda's enthusiasm to be used as a starting pitcher, which he is particular about, and the attractive offer of a two-year contract plus performance-based bonuses totaling approximately 400 million yen, ultimately secured his signature.

This season, no pitcher on the team reached the required innings pitched. The most was Fujii with 109 2/3 innings, and among the starters, Kosha had the most wins with 7. Hayakawa, who served as the opening day pitcher for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025, only managed 2 wins. He underwent surgery on his left shoulder in September and is expected to be out for 4-5 months, so there is a possibility that he will not be ready for opening day. General Manager Ishii Kazuhisa, who was also present at the press conference, said, "I would like to see some depth in the starting rotation. This year was very unbalanced, so I think it's great that we have members who can form a solid scrum as the starting rotation."

The veteran, who will turn 38 in April next year, is set to shine once again in Sendai.

◆ Kenta Maeda: Born April 11, 1988, in Osaka Prefecture. Age 37. Played in Koshien in his first year (summer) and third year (spring) while attending PL Gakuen High School. Drafted in the first round of the 2006 high school draft by the Hiroshima Carp. Moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2015 offseason and played in MLB until this season. Represented Japan in the 2013 WBC and the 2015 Premier12. Awards include two Sawamura Awards, two win titles, three ERA, two strike out titles, three Best Nine selections, and five Golden Glove Awards. 185 cm, 84 kg. Right-handed pitcher, right-handed batter.