The Padres continue discussing a long-term extension with center fielder Cameron Maybin, Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports. The sides are optimistic about reaching a deal and have an unofficial March 1st deadline in place.
Talks about a five year extension started earlier in the offseason, but stopped around the time Maybin switched agents. The 24-year-old Brian Goldberg client says he's focused on preparing for the season, not the possibility of a new contract.
Maybin posted a .264/.323/.393 line in 2011 and plays better-than-average defense in center field, according to UZR/150. He's not yet arbitration eligible and will remain under team control through 2015. I explained last month that I believe a five-year deal in the $21-22MM range could work for Maybin and the Padres.
I am a Tigers fan and I wish Maybin the best of luck in the future. I really hope this guy reaches his potential and last year turns out to be a good sign of things to come. Go Maybin!
awesome. another guy cashing in on one full season of starting. glad it’s not my money being wasted
This is the exact kind of guy who could end up with a well below market deal if it is signed now. Yes, there is some risk associated with it, but good defense in center, former top prospect pedigree and potentially some power out of a premium defensive position are all things that point to good value. Ideally, they could wait one more year to approach something like this, but at ’12: $500K, ’13: $2MM, ’14: $4MM, ’15: $6MM, ’16: $8MM, that is not outlandish, in my opinion.
I imagine it’s hard for a Philly fan (Sam) to put themself in the position of following the Padres. They wait, he continues to grow as a player, and his cost could easily go up 2-3 times. Bigger payroll teams are in an obvious much better position to take a wait-and-see approach, the Padres, not so much.
Best all-around CF they’ve had since Petco opened… locking him up right now should be priority #1. For reference Moorad/Byrnes locked up Justin Upton on his 6/50m deal when he had the exact same amount of service time that Maybin has now. Of course the terms are going to be much more friendly for the Padres, but I am not surprised at all that they are looking to lock him up, as everyone one and their mother associated with the Padres see’s Maybin as main core piece going forward. Signing him now extends his stay, due to the cost benefits that come from being pro-active. Not doing so puts him in a position after 2012 that guys like Pablo Sandoval & Elvis Andrus were at this year, signing deals that gave the team no FA years because they could.
So no, waiting isn’t the smart thing for the Padres to do, not when the cost is at its current reasonable figure. In fact doing so is the opposite of that.
it just makes no sense to me why they’re trying to lock him up when he’s not even arb eligible and it’s not like he’ll get a crazy raise next years w/o hitting 60 homers. why can’t they wait at least one year to see what they have?
Because waiting a year could very well mean instead of signing for 25m or so, it takes close to double that OR he simply is interested in only giving up his arbitration years. With the Padres and bats, it’s wise to identify your core pieces early and lock them up. Waiting on them as they get closer to free agency is playing with fire. We’ve seen numerous guys with 3 years of control (Maybin after ’12) only willing to sign 3-year deals (Votto, Andrus, Panda, etc.). The guys that have signed at that point (Markakis 6/66m, Rios 7/69m) took a ton more in guaranteed money to forego free agency at their set date.
Maybin is exactly what they need in CF, their most important position on the team. If he can balance his splits and become more productive at Petco, he could get very costly very quickly. If the Padres had a top-15 payroll, sure they could wait. Being in the bottom-5 means taking other measures. Not signing Maybin now would be a bone-head move for the organization, IMO.
This is a risky extension. I’m still not sold that he can repeat, much less improve.
Teams like the PAdres have to take these sorts of risks. I mean if he comes out and plays well again he will only command more money in arbtiration. If they locked him up for 4 mil AAV thats not a huge hit and as long as he doesnt get injured I could see him easily being worth that in his defense alone.
I’d love to see him patrol Petco for the next five years, but they still have him under control for three more years. I’d like to see one more year with the same production before they commit big money to him. Byrnes is notorious for giving one-year wonder outfielders huge contracts they don’t deserve. (see Eric Byrnes and Chris Young) Still, 4-5 million is easy to swallow for Maybin’s defense in that ballpark.
Byrnes was a bust. His signing was the result of the fanbase looking for ANYBODY to step in and be the face of the franchise with the departure of Gonzales. Chris Young on the other hand has mostly lived up to his contact. No one is complaining about having a top 3-5 CF on pretty team friendly terms, one that in two post season appearances has been a monster both in the field and at the plate.
He did sign Upton early and that’s looking brilliant. Waiting (ala LA & Kemp) would have likely meant an early FA exit for Upton as his price doubles if not triples.
From what I’ve read Moorad forced Byrnes'(GM) hand to sign Byrnes(OF) while in Arizona. That’s why owners should let GMs do there jobs and just sign the cheques.
Byrnes was a bust. His signing was the result of the fanbase looking for ANYBODY to step in and be the face of the franchise with the departure of Gonzales. Chris Young on the other hand has mostly lived up to his contact. No one is complaining about having a top 3-5 CF on pretty team friendly terms, one that in two post season appearances has been a monster both in the field and at the plate.
Better idea: convert Clayton Richard into your center fielder, could be the next Rick Ankiel.
They really don’t need to convert anyone to CF and can probably go year to year with maybin, or just buy out his arbitration years if they can fairly reasonable..
SD has his carbon copy at high A ball already.. Reymond Fuentes.. Does everything maybin does and should he make it.. Will cost a lot less in a couple years than Maybin.
Fuentes, for the fan who still thinks Boston got Gonzalez for nothing.. was the “other” guy, not named Casey Kelly and Anthony Rizzo..
I like Fuentes too, but am not holding out much hope of him developing into Maybin’s equal. If they give him a long-term extension expect it to include atleast a FA year or two. If Fuentes is ready in three years having Maybin with a good three or so years of control left would do wonders to his trade value compared to only having one year of control (i.e. going year-to-year or buying out just arb years).
I am a fan of Fuentes, but he does not have the power potential that Maybin has. Fuentes leading off and playing a top notch RF in a couple of years would suit me just fine. Not to mention, the fan base could use a guy as the face of the franchise and from what I see Maybin would be a great choice.
It’s nothing against Maybin at all. I am just thinking 1st of all to maybe see him repeat his 2011 season again before giving him some multi year deal.
Watch most marlins (and Red Sox) games and am pretty familiar with Maybin and nothing personal, but the Maybin of 2011 is far different than what I saw his entire time he was with the Fish. Maybe he has matured and improved from a location change as well could be another factor.
Glad some Padres fans here are familiar with Fuentes. Didn’t like him going as part of that Gonzalez deal, was thinking he would eventually be the replacement for Ellsbury once he leaves via FA, as you wrote.. He has little power, but is a speed burner with a good glove at all 3 OF positions.
I’m not saying Maybin is the second coming of Willie Mays or anything, but he sure did improve last year. I think a lot of it had to do with the Padres telling him he was their guy and he didn’t have to worry about being shuttled back and forth to the minors like he did in Florida.
A lot of scouts, and fans, are down on Fuentes because he didn’t tear up the Cal League, but he was only 20 years old for the whole season. In his 2 seasons of full season ball, he has hit .270 or better with 40+ steals. If he can keep that kind of production up as he works his way through the minors and into the majors, he would be a welcome sight at Petco. Having Maybin and Fuentes in the same outfield would even make Petco look small.
I am a fan of Fuentes, but he does not have the power potential that Maybin has. Fuentes leading off and playing a top notch RF in a couple of years would suit me just fine. Not to mention, the fan base could use a guy as the face of the franchise and from what I see Maybin would be a great choice.
Reality check….this guy stinks
Not really, but feel free to try this “baseball analysis” again.
You’re right, “not really” is a much more thorough “baseball analysis” than “this guy stinks”
Have you looked at how he faired outside of hitter’s hell in 2011? Couple that with his defense & speed and anyone who thinks that stinks isn’t worth taking seriously. He’d look great between Morrison & Stanton right about now. But hey, the Marlins shored up their middle-relief…
Are you the “posts just to post” guy ? Nothing interesting to add, just a silly geneeral staement. The guy is 24, played great defense, hit 260, had a bunch of stolen bags, and was regarded as a great clubhouse guy. Your creativity in name selections is as creative as your posts