Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin went through a difficult few months leading up to the 2019 campaign. After Maybin didn’t produce enough with the Marlins or Mariners last year to merit a major league contract, he languished on the free-agent market until the Giants brought him in on a minors pact in late February. A month later, the Giants released Maybin in the wake of a DUI arrest, though he did catch on with the Indians on another non-guaranteed deal in the coming days.
Despite the fact that the Indians’ outfield was an obvious question mark coming into the season, Maybin wasn’t able to get past the Triple-A level as a member of the organization. As a result, the Indians traded Maybin to the Yankees for cash on April 25 in what appeared would go down as an inconsequential swap.
However, since joining the Yankees, the 32-year-old Maybin has capitalized on a surprisingly large amount of playing time in a Yankees outfield that has dealt with a slew of injuries. The resurgent Maybin’s scheduled to head back to free agency after his 2019 stint with the World Series-contending Yankees concludes, but he prefers to stay where he is, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.
Asked if he’d like to re-sign with the Yankees, Maybin said, “I think that goes without saying.” The well-traveled Maybin added that the Yankees are “by far the best organization” he has played for since he began his pro career as a first-round pick of the Tigers in 2005.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are surely thankful for the way Maybin has stepped up this year. While Maybin didn’t look like much of an offensive threat when he joined the club, the speedster has teed off on opposing pitchers for a .285/.364/.494 line with 11 home runs and nine steals in 269 plate appearances this year. He has been a versatile defender at the same time, having seen at least some action at each outfield position (primarily the corners).
Maybin may be able to parlay this season’s production into a major league deal before next year, but whether the Yankees will be the team to give him his next contract is in question. They’ll likely go into 2020 with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton (whose injury-wrecked regular season helped open the door for Maybin) and Aaron Hicks as their starting outfield. They’ll also continue to have control over Mike Tauchman (who will be out of options), Clint Frazier and the injury-riddled, costly Jacoby Ellsbury. Plus, despite the presences of those six, no one will be surprised if New York re-ups its longest-tenured player, pending free-agent outfielder Brett Gardner. Should that happen, it would only make a Maybin re-signing look less likely than it already does.
I love Cam but Judge, Hicks, Stanton, Tauchman, and possibly Gardner makes it tough to keep
I’m just glad he’s had a resurgent year. Though it most likely won’t be in the Bronx, someone is gonna give him a guaranteed contract.
“resurgent year” His career has been as a reserve outfielder. Nobody is giving him a “guaranteed contract”. He’ll be lucky to get invited to spring training by a team in hopes of making a roster. He’ll more than likely sign a minor league deal after the 2020 season begins.
@PopeMarley Cam is good enough to get a guaranteed 1 year deal for a mil or two. Good power off the bench. A 11% walk rate and passable glove? He’s also a solid club house guy. He’ll find work easy enough. He knows his role.
This year was to small a sample size to negate what his career has been. Plenty of better, and younger players vying for those contracts.
sure it was a small sample but you don’t need a big sample size of quality play to be worth a few million on a 1 year deal
“His career has been as a reserve outfielder” – do people not realize how easy it is to look up stats and see how incorrect of a comment that is?
I’m also not sure how 82 games and 262 abs became a small sample size. Someone who needs a stop gap for a year or so will give him a job. He’s a serviceable outfielder who found a little pop late in his career. Granted those guys are a dime a dozen but as long as he’s not trying to break the bank someone will bring him in as a low cost stop gap.
+SaberSmuckers
The last time he put up more than 130 games was in 2015. In 2018 he logged 129 games but he did get a lot of chances to play since he was on the Angels for 99 of those games. Put him on a team that has a replacement level hitter in the OF and he has been a reserve level OFer since 2015-2016. His career OPS+ of 93 doesnt tell me otherwise, either.
Well Gardner is a fee agent and Hicks gets hurt a lot. So there may be room for Maybin
This. I would rather take another chance with Gardner. If he falls off a cliff, the Yankees will probably release him into retirement. Also Frazier has to be in the OF mix as well if he isn’t traded.
There was a time when Maybin had so much potential that theMarlins gave up a young Miguel Cabrera to get Maybin.
The talent has always been there. The Yankees have developed a system that can get the most out of anyone. Maybin could rewrite the story of his career if they keep him and the positive momentum continues.
@Ejemp2006
Maybin had a good year in a reduced role. At his age, he is what he is. He can be a good contributor but that’s about it. Like @judgeadams9933 said, we have a very crowded outfield as we speak. Same goes with our infield too. Good problem to have but some good, solid players are likely not to return because of other younger options. Unless a meaningful trade can be made using sone of the redundant talent Maybin, EE and Tauchman are likely not to return.
Trades or no trades, there is exactly zero chance the Yankees pay EE $20 million next year when he’s got a $5 million buyout. Maybe he lights it up in the playoffs and he can be parlayed into a #4 or #5 starter next year, but it’s much more likely he gets bought out.
I like what he’s done for us this year, but between Voit and now Mike Ford plus the DH role being a rotating cast of characters mostly occupied by Stanton, Edwin isn’t worth the money to occupy a bench spot most days. I don’t even like the idea of paying DJ $12 million to be a bench player next year and he’s both a better all-around player and has defensive value.
In regards to DJ being a bench player, you are assuming they resign Didi. I’m not so sure that is a guarantee given they could move Torres to SS to get DJ regular playing time. I think it could go either way.
@AllRiseForTheJudge
Do you REALLY think DJ is going to be a bench player next year? Not a chance that he won’t be a starter. He may play 1b, 2b and SS 30-40 games each but he will be in the lineup for at least 145 games if healthy. He was easily the MVP for the Yanks this year. Super utility is a better job description than bench player.
The question marks are Andujar vs Urshella, and Voit vs DJ at 1B. I think it’s a waste of talent to have him at 1 position for the season. But then again, injuries have away of solving those kind of problems. Yanks had to really use the bottom of the depth charts this year. Remember how the Urshela and Tauchman acquisitions were seen more as AAA depth moves?
DJ was paid $12 million to be a bench player this year and that could not have gone any better. Next year the Yankees will be thrilled to have him play every day except for a few rest days likely splitting time between 1B, 2B and 3B just like this year
Hey All—where did you get that the Yankees would pay DJ to be a bench player? Are you nuts? He’s the MVP of the 2019 team.
Really dumb comment. Keep it up and we will remove the name judge from your alias.
I think Andrew Miller was the bigger get in that trade.
Ya Miller was there headliner in the deal.
We Tiger fans believed Maybin would be a Tori Hunter level star.
@abgb123
They were both blue-chip prospects who were top 10 on the top 100 prospect lists at the time. They were viewed as equals despite Miller being the rare hard throwing lefty. But Maybin as an elite prospect at the time too.
I analyzed a bunch of sabermetrics and stats, probably at least 6 or 7 stats, and it turns out that Andrew Miller started getting better when he grew the beard out, but Cameron Maybin started getting better when he ditched the dreadlocks.
^^ This is why I read the comments every morning, drinking coffee, before I leave for work…
” World Series-contending Yankees”
Gotta stoke those Yankee fan egos, eh Connor?
You are one angry elf.
Teed off? It seems that if you want to look like a great hitter join the Yankees. With the numbers he has coming from playing for the Spankees I wouldn’t call that teeing off. More like marginal
@jdodge22
A .280/.352/.476 away isn’t exactly a slouch.
We need to get away from this narrative that the good hitters are all a product of Yankee Stadium. The 2019 Yanks, as a team, hit more homers and had a higher overall OPS on the road than at home.
“A .280/.352/.476 away isn’t exactly a slouch.”
If you’re not a Yankee, yes it is. Garrett Cooper was called “middling” with similar stats. When you’re a Yankee it’s called “teeing off” and “capitalized””
the butt-hurt is strong with this one
@Melchez
Get over whatever on-going issue you have with the Yankees. I never claimed he was “teeing” off. What i DID say was that his slash line was decent and he wasn’t a “slouch”. For the record, small sample size considered, his OPS ranked 33rd among all qualified outfielders. So no, last year he was no slouch.
And for the record, and it’s not REALLY important since I’m not calling either a star, Cooper had a solid season too but Maybin’s OPS was 67 points higher than Cooper’s and has more defensive versatility than Cooper does. But again, I’m not saying Maybin is any sort of world-beater but he did have a good solid season in a reserve role.
if they could trade Hicks I’d be more than happy to sign him and Gardner ( who will be signed either way) but I doubt the y do that.
Hahahah. Why would you want to keep Gardner? Be happy with production I got from him this year. Never again will you get that. Hicks hands down the better player. Time to move on from the waste of a roster spot Gardner has been for the last 5 years
Hardy has put up 18.2 WAR in the last five seasons. How is that a waste of a roster spot?
I used to feel that way but he changed his swing this year. He really bought on to the whole launch angle concept. While I like hicks and he is better defensively and definitely has a better arm I think when he gets healthy you can move his contract before he shows he may get hurt again. Tauchman has shown to be one of the better defensive outfielders in the game although I’m not sure how much that translates to cf. I think at the least you can keep Gardner h til Florial is ready and if not him tauchman can hold it down until Dominguez
@floridapinstripes I would be wiling to wager that, if healthy, and that’s sort of the issue, that Hicks probably has more upside going forward that Gardner. Plus teams would likely be more interested in seeing him put together a full year of being healthy before they would trade for him.
@Woodlawn Gardner is well worth another 1 year deal and I doubt he would fight for more. Like CC, take it year to year.
For the record tho, Gardner has been worth 15.3 in WAR the last 5 years which ranks him 44th among ALL PLAYERS, not just outfielders. Among outfielders he’s ranked 13th overall. So stop it. He’s been a good contributor. As long as it’s a 1 year deal under $10 mil then it’s a smart move to bring him back for 1 more year. Hopefully, Frazier will force himself into a full time role manning LF.
I’d rather have him then Gardner right now. Gardner stinks. Need to part ways
What did Gardner do to you? Give it a rest, stats say you’re wrong. He does not stink. Your trolling comments stink. You were wrong when you said it earlier this year, and you are wrong now.
You clearly don’t understand baseball. Be quiet when adults are commenting.
Pass- yanks and maybin were both lucky this year. Let him parlay this into a better deal elsewhere
Who’s Jacoby Ellsbury?
I’d take Maybin over Tauchman. Gardner, Stanton, Hicks, Judge and Maybin would b a solid 5 man outfield. With the rosters expanding to 26 next year there’s room for the 5th outfielder
What? Why? I’d take Tauchman over Maybin 10 times outta 10. Maybin has been overachieving compared to the numbers he put up over his 13 year career. His best full season was in 2011 in which he was an average hitter (103 OPS*). He had a production spike this year but was already starting to revert to his old ways posting a slash line of .200/.289/.400 between Aug 9th and Sept 27.
I honestly cant believe that people are thinking Maybin is suddenly a better option than a young kid with promise who posted an OPS+ of 128 at the big league level.
Suspiciously suspicious.
cmon man, cant come up with any new material? aside from this one, youre not even getting any replies. time to go back to the drawing board and make a new profile with a new gimmick
Yanks will give him a low ball one year deal. I expect Maybin to get more money from another team. maybe even a cheap 2 yr pact from a team that really has an interest in his services.