People love to complain about stuff nowadays. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, or how big/small it may be; humans in today’s society will always find a way to bring the negative out of everything. They will always poke and prod at a moment, until they can find a way to become upset about it.

It’s a crazy way for someone to live, especially when it involves turning an almost “non-story” into an apocalyptic event. And that was certainly the case this past week, when the Chicago Cubs signed RHP Kenta Maeda to a minor league deal.

REPORT: The Cubs are signing RHP Kenta Maeda to a minor league deal, per @YamadaMLB. pic.twitter.com/wc3B6RYMhS

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 16, 2025

Simple, clean, and not “ground breaking.” The signing of Kenta Maeda was the most intriguing ‘non-story’ of the week for the Chicago Cubs, and fans (for some reason) turned into a major deal. They flooded social media with reaction to this news, talking about how much he “sucks,” and that this was a horrible move by the organization.

But why? Why are they so against Maeda going to the minors?

Maeda, for those of you who are unaware, has played for three different teams (Dodgers, Twins, Tigers) throughout his nine years in the Majors. During that span, the former Hiroshima Carp has put up a stat-line consisting of;

68-56 Record, 4.20 ERA, 1055 Ks, 1.174 WHIP, 6.7 WAR

He has been a career “middle of the rotation” type of pitcher, who has settled around the 2-4 spots for each team he’s played for. He (sadly) has never really become the “top-dawg” during his time in the majors, posting only ONE season with an ERA under 3.00. The worst part though? It was when he went to Detroit that everything turned south, recording two-straight seasons with a 6+ ERA.

The man was basically broken during his time in the ‘Motor City,’ and fans of the Tigers were ELATED when they found out the team DFA’d him last May. He was a liability in the American League Central, and an arm that made the fans of the team clench in terror whenever he took the mound.

He is someone who should NOT be at the Major League level as of right now, and any GM who thinks otherwise should lose their job immediately. But in the Minors? As a “project” of sorts, for a team that needs more veteran arms on their staff? It makes complete sense!

Just think about it; Craig Counsell’s bunch is in a VERY interesting spot, when it comes to their pitching staff. As of writing this; they have lost Justin Steele for the year, after he underwent surgery on his left elbow. They are still waiting on Shota Imanaga to come back from the IL, after he suffered a mild left hamstring strain in Milwaukee. And to top it all off, their entire pitching staff is sitting at a 4.00 collective ERA, with the likes of Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd in their starting rotation.

Simply put; the arms of the Chicago Cubs haven’t been that impressive this season, and have been getting bailed out by their offense more often than not. So because of that……why not give a veteran like Maeda a look in the minors? Why not take a flyer on the 37-year old righty, to see if they can “fix” him in some way? If they do, then congrats! They secured themselves an arm for the back-end of their rotation, or even a long-reliever out of the pen. But if they don’t…..then they don’t bring him up, and he never throws a pitch for the big-league club.

It’s as easy as that. But for some reason, there are fans in the world who don’t understand that. There are fans in the world who see those two 6+ ERA seasons, and think; “this team is imploding.” I don’t understand why they would think that. This move doesn’t hinder Craig Counsell’s club in any way. But I guess people just need something to complain about.

In the end though, I hope Maeda can turn things around. The Cubs need another arm. But as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.