Comparing Kenta Maeda to the Free Agent Starters

When Maeda was acquired there were a lot of rumblings about him being just above average and not the “impact” guy the Twins needed. This was coming and is still coming from the same group that wanted Bumgarner to be that savior for the rotation. I personally liked Wheeler and Ryu a lot so it is interesting where Maeda ranks among these three.

2019 statistics:

• Kenta Maeda: 4.04 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 6.7 H/9, 3.0 BB/9, 9.9 K/9
  
• Zack Wheeler: 3.96 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 9.0 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
  
• Hyun-Jin Ryu: 2.32 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 7.9 H/9, 1.2 BB/9, 8.0 K/9
  
• Madison Bumgarner: 3.90 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 8.3 H/9, 1.9 BB/9, 8.8 K/9
  

Ryu was statistically the best pitcher of the four with Wheeler, Bumgarner, and Maeda all very close to each other. Now when you bring up the price tag for each pitcher Maeda is much cheaper than the rest, allowing the Twins to make other moves.

• Wheeler: $21.5 million
  
• Bumgarner: $17 million
  
• Ryu: $20 million
  
• Maeda: Really weird contract but probably around $11 million
  

You could argue that Maeda is at the top of the list or at the bottom, but I think he, Wheeler, and Ryu are extremely close in what they will give next season. Bumgarner is going to fall off a cliff and will be the worst of the four. Another thing about Maeda is that he allowed the Twins to go get someone like Josh Donaldson because of his cheap price. If the Twins had landed Wheeler for the contract he signed, Josh Donaldson would not have ended up in Minnesota. The impact of Maeda/Donaldson is above the impact of Wheeler or Ryu/Moreland or someone like him.

I may be drinking the Twins Kool-aid a bit here, but I think landing Maeda was the best case scenario when you take into account price, statistics, future value, and a guy named Josh Donaldson. He may not be the best pitcher, but he is very close to them all and the roster/financial impact is the key to why I would take Maeda.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

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