Eight years after he left as part of the Dontrelle Willis/Miguel Cabrera trade, Cameron Maybin is back with the Detroit Tigers.
The Atlanta Braves announced Friday they sent the veteran outfielder to the Tigers for Ian Krol and Gabe Speier.
After the trade was confirmed, Maybin tweeted out his appreciation of his one year in Atlanta:
In 141 games last year, Maybin hit .267/.327/.370 with 10 home runs, 59 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Offensively, 2015 was his best season since his first two years with the San Diego Padres in 2011 and 2012. Maybin has fallen off a bit defensively, but he is still a talented hitter when healthy.
The 28-year-old is a risky addition for the Tigers given his extensive injury history—215 missed games between 2013 and 2014—but could turn into a big piece for Detroit if he can repeat last year's numbers.
He could also provide some much-needed consistency for the Tigers in center field. According to Hardball Talk's Aaron Gleeman, the team used 16 different players at the position since letting Maybin go.
Fox Sports' Jon Morosi is a fan of the trade from a Tigers perspective:
The trade is another cost-cutting move for Atlanta as it continues its full rebuild. The Braves sent Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel to the Padres last offseason and dealt Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels earlier in November.
According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, trading Maybin results in a roughly $6.5 million salary savings for the Braves.
Some Braves fans might have expected the team to get back more than two relief pitchers in return for Maybin. Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra was particularly harsh regarding Atlanta's haul:
Neither Krol nor Speier projects to be a major part of that rebuilding plan. Krol appeared in 33 games for the Tigers in 2015, posting a 5.79 ERA in 28 innings. Speier spent last year in Single-A, going 4-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 relief appearances.
At the very least, the trade continues the Braves' organizational trend of acquiring young arms who can either play a role in the big leagues down the road or be packaged together in future deals.
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