Tigers facing decision with Maybin

DETROIT — The disappointment of a season’s end was still hitting Cameron Maybin two weeks ago when the question of whether the center fielder would like to return to the Tigers came up. He didn’t hesitate. 

 “Definitely,” he said. “I had a blast, probably the most fun I’ve had in years. I thought last year was fun playing in Atlanta, but this year definitely tops that. I’ve enjoyed being back in a Tiger uniform, the team that drafted me. Again, I can’t control that, but I truly enjoyed the way the fans embraced me and the way the guys embraced me in here. So I had a true pleasure being in Detroit. 

“I would love to be a Tiger again, but it’s really out of my control. I’ve been part of the business end of this for a while, so I’ll see what happens.” 

A decade ago, Maybin left Detroit, traded to Florida at age 20 along with Andrew Miller and a handful of prospects for a young slugger named Miguel Cabrera. Detroit did not miss the chance to bring back Maybin when the opportunity arose last fall, and it’s questionable whether the Tigers would’ve gotten as close as they did to the postseason without him. The November swap for reliever Ian Krol turned out to be one of the best moves Al Avila made in his first offseason as general manager. 

Now, the Tigers face another decision on Maybin, a $9 million club option or a $1 million buyout as part of the long-term contract he signed with the Padres in 2012. Unlike this season, when the …

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