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Cameron Maybin: Potential Trade Value Diminishing?

By Jonathan Savitske

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Cameron Maybin has rejunevated his career as a member of the Atlanta Braves this season after being traded to the club in April from the San Diego Padres.

After supplanting Eric Young Jr. as the Atlanta Braves starting center-fielder near the end of April, Cameron Maybin become arguably the most dangerous hitter for the Atlanta Braves for the majority of the season. Before the All-Star break, Cameron Maybin had a .289/.356/.418 slash line, including hitting around .400 with runners in scoring position.

-= Related: Cameron Maybin: Buy Low, Sell High? =-

Cameron Maybin’s good performance before the All-Star break led many to believe (myself included) that Maybin could maintain his impressive stat line for the rest of the season, and could become an integral part of the Atlanta Braves future plans in the outfield. Alas, this has not been the case in second half, as Maybin’s stats have fallen off — similarily to the Atlanta Braves second half performance as a team.

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Following the All-Star game in mid July, Cameron Maybin has regressed to the player that he was before he was traded to Atlanta, hitting only .221/.276/.302 with only 15 walks since the break. Maybin recently missed 9 games due to an infected eye from a lacerated cornea, which has led to less playing time.

My colleague Matthew Schoettler wrote about a month ago about potentially selling high on Maybin this offseason after he was essentially a “throw-in” for Craig Kimbrel. Given his performance in the second half of the 2015 season, selling high on Cameron Maybin may no longer be possible. His less than stellar post All-Star statistics show significant regression from what he displayed early on, lowering his slash line to where it currently stands at .261/.323/.370, which is right in line with his career line of .249/.312/.366.

So what has caused Cameron Maybin to regress? It could be a combination of injury, pitchers learning to pitch around him, as well as sufficient protection in the lineup. After Freddie Freeman was lost for a significant amount time due to a wrist and oblique injury, Maybin became one of the centerpieces of the Atlanta Braves lineup. Without the protection of Freeman in the lineup, he was unable to get pitches to hit, and tried to do too much.

Because of his recent struggles (batting just .163 in the month of September), has Maybin played himself out of the Atlanta Braves future plans? It is a distinct possibility, especially with top prospect Mallex Smith on the rise and with both Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn on the roster. 

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It’s still possible that Cameron Maybin may remain with the club next season as a potential fourth outfielder if he is unable to secure a starting role on the 2016 rendition of the Atlanta Braves in Spring Training. Another possibility is that Maybin may be traded, as John Hart has consistently demonstrated his ability to part with beloved players for the future benefit of the club.

If Maybin is in fact shipped off this offseason to another team, his value will not be nearly as high as it was earlier in the season. His lackluster slash line in the second half has significantly diminished the Braves’ ability to attain a significant haul for the outfielder; but could still net a decent return. Hart and the Braves front-office have gotten good prospects in return for next to nothing (ie Phil Gosselin for Touki Toussaint).

However it turns out, Cameron Maybin’s contributions for most of the season have been some of the brighter spots for the Braves during a dismal year; but his recent performance asks more questions about his future with the Braves than it does answer them.

Next: Atlanta Braves Win Back to Back Road Games vs. Mets

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