Cameron Maybin wasn’t the main reason the Braves traded Melvin Upton Jr. and Craig Kimbrel to the Padres at the start of the 2015 season. But he ended up having a resurgent season as their center fielder, and the Braves decided to parlay his value into a cost-saving trade Friday.
The Braves sent Maybin and cash to the Tigers in exchange for left-handed pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier. The Braves shed about $7.5 million from their 2016 payroll with the deal and added Speier to the deep roster of pitching prospects they’ve accumulated in the past year.
“It was tough to trade Cameron, but this trade follows our pattern of adding pitching prospects and creating future payroll flexibility,” Braves general manager John Coppolella wrote in a message. “We are excited about Ian Krol and Gabe Speier and continue to remain active on the free-agent market and trade market as we look to improve our team.”
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Maybin is set to make $8 million in 2016, and his contract includes a $9 million club option for 2017. As a pre-arbitration player, Krol will receive a small raise from his 2015 salary of $515,000. He is under contractual control through 2020.
Krol, 24, made his big-league debut with the Nationals in 2013, and the Tigers acquired him in a trade after his rookie season. He’s made a total of 110 appearances out of the bullpen and has a 4.91 ERA over 88 innings with 76 strikeouts and 17 walks.
Speier, 20, has yet to appear above the Single-A level. The Red Sox selected him in the 19th round of the 2013 draft out of Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, Calif. Speier has pitched 45 games (eight starts) in the minors while posting a 2.34 ERA over 77 innings.
The Braves got a bonus when Maybin ended up having one of his most productive seasons in 2015. Their main motivation for trading Upton and Kimbrel to the Padres on the eve of opening day was to dump Upton’s salary and acquire pitching prospect Matt Wisler and a draft pick.
Maybin started 126 games in center field for the Braves and played in 139 games overall. He hit .267 with a .327 on-base percentage and a .370 slugging percentage while stealing a team-high 23 stolen bases in 29 attempts.
Maybin returns to the organization that selected him No. 10 overall in the 2005 draft. Maybin played 24 games for the Tigers as a rookie in 2007 before they traded him to the Marlins in December that year. The Padres traded Maybin to the Padres after the 2010 season.
