4 Responses to “Rumor: Teams interested in Maxwell”
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There's a spot for him if they give up on Ibanez now. I swear, watching him hit in spring training, it amazes me this guy ever hit above .200. I know he's under contract for 2.5 million, and they want a lefty, but if they have Russell Branyan and Jack Cust sitting in the minors, Ibanez is no better than them, and Maxwell, being out of options, should at least get a chance to prove this spring isn't a fluke. He's at the age where he may actually finally be hitting his stride, albeit it's a little late, but he could prove to be an ACTUAL trade commodity down the line, for something of higher value. I know this will never happen, and Ibanez has started hitting a TAD better of late, but I don't see him separating himself that much from Jack Cust.
I'd like to see him get his chance and those teams obviously give him a better chance. However, I'm not sure I'd consider him young.
I've been a Justin Maxwell fan since I saw him years ago in the Cape Cod League, and as much as I'd love to see him hit his stride as a Yankee in pinstripes, maybe he'll finally prove that he can stick in the big leagues if he has a chance to play somewhere else.
At the same time, Maxwell could just be enjoying a fluky good spring. Maybe the best bet is to trade him while his value is high. If they bring him up to the majors and it turns out it was a fluke, his trade value will be zero. Although, if I recall correctly, don't the Orioles have a reputation for being notoriously difficult to negotiate with? (Astros, too, actually.)