Meada, Dodgers finalize $25M deal that could be worth $106M

Wasting away $25 million on him, or even more for that matter, is not very much for the deep pocketed Dodgers.

The contractual terms were not a reflection of Maeda’s perceived durability, but, rather, the lack thereof.

The unique contract was negotiated after a physical performed by Maeda’s agent revealed “irregularities” in the right-hander’s pitching elbow.

If he remains healthy, his contract could be worth more than $100 million; he can earn more than $10 million a year in bonuses based on games started and innings pitched.

If the sky is falling in Los Angeles, the Dodgers may have done enough to keep their fortress intact. Whatever the issue, Maeda didn’t foresee it becoming an obstacle.

“I feel no uncertainty – zero”, Maeda said. In eight seasons with Hiroshima, Maeda went 97-67 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

Maeda averaged 28 starts and 200 innings over the last seven seasons in Japan.

Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, was cautiously optimistic.

The Dodgers were aware of Maeda’s medical problems before they opened negotiations with the five-time Japanese league All-Star.

The financial obligation to Maeda is relatively minimal.

The signing of Maeda came shortly after the Dodgers inked left-hander Scott Kazmir to a three-year, $48 million deal.

A two-time victor of the Sawamura Award as Japan’s top pitcher, Maeda figures to slot into the middle of the Dodgers’ rotation.

Had the Dodgers not signed Maeda today, he would have returned back to the Hiroshima Carp and the Dodgers would have lost their $20 million posting fee.

The Dodgers added Maeda to break the left-handed dominance in their rotation, which could turn him into something of a specialist and maybe take off some of the load from his arm.

And the team did it without gutting a farm system that has players on the verge of producing. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus each time he is traded.

Friedman said the team considers Maeda to be a starter. To do so, Maeda would have to make 32 starts and pitch 200 innings every year for the next eight years. Brandon McCarthy is projected to make a midseason return from reconstructive elbow surgery.

“We’re in it for the long haul”, Friedman said.

Maeda said he has pitched on four days’ rest on a few occasions and has ideas on how he can prepare his body to do so on a regular basis. He’s also guaranteed to wear the #18 jersey. Maeda also called 18 his lucky number.

The signing marks Maeda as the eighth Japanese player in Dodger history, joining Hideo Nomo (1995-98, 2002-04), Kazuhisa Ishii (2002-04), Masao Kida (2003-04), Norihiro Nakamura (2005), former player (2002-04) and current manager Dave Roberts, Takashi Saito (2006-07) and Hiroki Kuroda (2008-11).