Topps signs Dodgers rookie Kenta Maeda to autograph deal

Topps announced this week that Los Angeles Dodgers rookie pitcher, Kenta Maeda, has inked a deal with the company to sign trading cards for the 2016 season.

The first autographs of the 27-year-old Japanese pitcher will appear in 2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball, which is due out at the end of March. Maeda will also have signed cards in 2016 Bowman Baseball and Topps Tribute Baseball.

“Maeda is a popular player on a big market team with dominant international statistics,” said Topps Baseball brand manager Zvee Geffen in a company release. “It’s a combination driving excitement for fans everywhere, and Topps is the only place collectors will find his Major League Baseball–licensed autographed cards.”

Maeda arrived in the States after signing an eight-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason. He has already spent eight seasons pitching Japan where he left with record of 97-67 and a 2.39 ERA.