Tigers Trade Cameron Maybin To Angels
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Let the MLB offseason begin.
The Tigers have traded outfielder Cameron Maybin to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher Victor Alcantara. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal.
Per Rosenthal, the Angels will pick up Maybin's $9 million option.
In regard to the Tigers, it's a deal that many saw coming. General manager Al Avila made clear his intention last month to rein in spending and operate within the means of a smaller-market team.
Shedding Maybin's $9 million salary in 2017 may be just the first step in that process.
In Alcantara, the Tigers receive a hard-throwing pitcher who was ranked by BaseballAmerica as the fourth best prospect in the Angels' organization. The 23-year-old boasts a fastball that sits between 95-96 mph and a power slider. He spent all of last season at the AA level, going 3-7 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 111 innings.
Maybin was coming off the best season of his ten-year career, and it appears the Tigers moved him while his value was high. The 29-year-old center fielder hit .315 and stole 15 bases in 94 games. He hadn't hit higher than .267 in a season prior to 2016.
The Tigers missed the playoffs in 2016 despite their $205 million payroll, the fourth highest in the league.
