Getting to Know the Newest Met, Cameron Maybin

The New York Mets have been ravaged by injuries as of late, losing key position players like Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme, Albert Almora, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil and Kevin Pillar in short order to IL stints.

This overflow of calamities has left the Mets to use every last player and prospect that was available to them on their 40-man roster, while also having to dip into Triple-A Syracuse’s roster just to field a full team. To address their great need for depth, the Mets made a move on Tuesday, swinging a trade for Cameron Maybin.

The big story of the deal to acquire Maybin was the cost of acquisition, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the “cash consideration” the Mets sent to the Chicago Cubs in the deal was a single dollar. But this is still a 14-year-veteran that has a chance to contribute to the Mets right now.

Career Overview

One thing you can say about Cameron Maybin‘s career is that he has the distinction of being the centerpiece in a trade for a future Hall of Famer. After making his MLB debut with Detroit Tigers in 2007, Maybin was one of the top prospects that was sent to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Miguel Cabrera.

Maybin proved to be a bust for the Marlins’ purposes, as he was never able to stay up at the big league level. Across parts of three seasons, Maybin played a total of 144 games with the Marlins. Following the 2010 season, the Marlins traded Maybin to the San Diego Padres.

Playing with the Padres, Maybin finally began to showcase the skills that once made him a top prospect. In his first year in San Diego, Maybin became the ninth player in franchise history to steal 40 bases in a season. Maybin was an elite defensive center fielder at the time, worth 21 defensive runs saved across his first two seasons as a Padre.

Maybin spent four years in San Diego, hitting .246/.307/.358, with 180 runs scored, 58 doubles, 27 triples, 19 home runs and 74 stolen bases across 393 games played. Maybin was then traded in 2015 from the Padres to the Atlanta Braves as part of the package that sent Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr. to San Diego.

In his lone season with the Braves, Maybin hit .267/.327/.370 with 65 runs scored, 18 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 141 games. Maybin was then traded yet again, this time returning him to his original team, the Detroit Tigers.

While he was limited to just 92 games due to injuries, Maybin had one of his better seasons in 2016, hitting .315/.383/.418. After a year in Detroit, the Tigers sent Maybin to the Los Angeles Angels. Maybin spent 93 games with the Angles before moving once again, as he claimed off of waivers by the Houston Astros.

Although Maybin struggled in his 21 regular season games with the Astros, hitting to a paltry .186/.226/.441 in 59 at bats, he was added to the playoff roster. In Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, Maybin entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 11th inning and hit a single. He then stole a base and was on for George Springer‘s two-run homer that gave the Astros the lead. Houston went on to win the World Series, giving Maybin his first championship.

Maybin would sign with the Miami Marlins in free agency for the 2018 season, but ultimately split the season between Miami and Seattle, as the Mariners traded for him at the deadline.

In 2019, Maybin signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and eventually found his way onto the big league roster. Maybin ended up having a quality season for the Yankees, hitting .285/.364/.494, with 48 runs scored, 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 32 RBIs in 82 games played.

Maybin produced a 127 wRC+ that season, the best mark of his career.

Finally in 2020, Maybin split his season between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, hitting .247/.307/.387, with just one home run and a 88 wRC+ in 32 games played.

Expectations for 2021

Cameron Maybin’s best days may be behind him, as he turned 34 years old last month, but this was still a worthy addition for the New York Mets.

Despite his age, Maybin is still one of the more athletic players in baseball, as he finished the 2020 season ranked in the 69th percentile when it came to his sprint speed. In 2019, Maybin was worth 1 DRS across 588.1 innings for the Yankees. He can still capably play all three outfield positions, while bringing over 1,100 games of MLB experience.

Maybin signed with the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal this offseason, but with no clear path to the majors, Chicago essentially grants him a release by making this trade, giving him a better chance to get back to the show.

In 10 games with the Iowa Cubs this year, Maybin was hitting just .103/.186/.205 across his first 39 at-bats. The right-handed hitter will begin his tenure with the Mets at Triple-A Syracuse, where he will look to get his bat going and prove he is ready to contribute to the big league roster.

Expectations should not be too high for Maybin, but his competition is certainly not that daunting at the moment. All the veteran needs to do is prove he can perform better than Johneshwy Fargas and Khalil Lee, who have 11 career at-bats between them.

For a Mets team that just needs bodies right now, the addition of Cameron Maybin is a move with absolutely no risk attached, with the potential for a bit of upside. If the Mets can even get a week of the guy who produced a 127 wRC+ for the Yankees back in 2019, this addition will be an overwhelming success.