Houston Astros Report: Why Cameron Maybin was acquired off waivers
The Houston Astros, to whom I didn’t expect to make any moves before deadline, have just acquired a talented outfielder that could make a difference in the upcoming playoffs.
The Houston Astros played around with the waiver wire this month and they were able to land outfielder Cameron Maybin as a result from the Los Angeles Angels. The July 31 trade deadline is all about getting the blue chips to help teams get better and the “waiver” deadline — which is today — is all about landing talent that would’ve otherwise had a higher price back in July.
This is perfect time to scoop up talent, especially from teams who have decided throw up the white flag or have their eyes dead set on rebuilding for the future.
Any way, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was the first to report the information:
#Astros acquiring Cameron Maybin from #Angels, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 31, 2017
In addition, Jake Kaplan of the Chron made it clear that this was a waiver wire move, not a trade for cash:
Astros won a claim of Maybin on revocable waivers. They will pay the rest of his $9 million salary for this year. No other players involved.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) August 31, 2017
Maybin has been sort of a pain for the Houston Astros on the defensive end in the outfield but lukewarm in terms of his bat. With the team that we currently have, he does help provide tremendous depth in the outfield but you never know what Jeff Luhnow has up his sleeve as far as the side deals.
Whatever happens, they can’t deal a player on the 40-man roster so those are unprotected are certainly available to deal. That would certainly mean that our top prospects are available, meaning that Derek Fisher and Francis Martes are off the table. And they should be because they will help us down the stretch.
As far as I how feel about this deal, it’s great that was made but it hardly moves the needle. But it’s just relieving to know that we’ve got more depth in the field. Maybin has one year left on his contract — $9 million that he’s owed –for this season which is another attractive reason why the team put a claim for him.
This is not bad news to hear and I look forward to seeing what Maybin can do for the Houston Astros.
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Maybin, 30, has a slash line of .235/.351/.585 with 29 stolen bases and 22 ribbies through 93 games and 336 at-bats.
Go Astros.