Kenta Maeda was born on April 11, 1988, in Osaka, Japan. He attended PL Gakuen High School before signing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, where he made his professional debut in 2008. Maeda won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 2010 and 2015. Following the 2015 season, he signed an eight-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his Major League Baseball debut on April 6, 2016. He earned a spot on the Baseball America Major League All-Rookie Team that year. The Dodgers traded Maeda to the Minnesota Twins on February 10, 2020, in exchange for Brusdar Graterol, Luke Raley, and future considerations. During the 2020 season, Maeda was named to the All-MLB Second Team and won the Twins Joseph W. Haynes Pitcher of the Year Award. He also served on the 2013 WBC All-Tournament Team. The Detroit Tigers signed Maeda as a free agent on November 28, 2023. After the 2024 season, Detroit released him in May 2025.