The Minnesota Twins have acquired Michael A. Taylor. The veteran centerfielder comes over from AL Central rival Kansas City Royals. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers initially reported the details of the deal.
Reliable Backup
Taylor is known as a true center fielder throughout his nine-year career. He has played a total 769 games in his career as an outfielder, 692 of which from the centerfield spot. Taylor will also fill in at the corner outfield spots when needed as part of a platoon.
He gives the Twins a very good backup plan behind Byron Buxton, who just can’t seem to stay healthy. Injuries have kept Buxton from playing more than 92 games in a season all but once in his eight years in the major leagues. Acquiring Michael A. Taylor provides flexibility.
Fills Other Needs
Michael A. Taylor certainly fills the other needs for this team. He’s a right-handed hitter, and brings along speed both offensively and defensively. Taylor isn’t that great of a hitter, however. He will have strikeouts, but anytime he gets on base, his speed is an asset. Taylor can turn a single into a double with that speed. He also has the ability to score from second on a good hit to the outfield.
This is a quality addition, and Taylor also brings some lineup balance. Currently, Buxton and Gilberto Celestino are the only other right-handed hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster. It is expected that Celestino will be at Triple-A Rochester when spring training breaks, however.
Quality Defensive Option
Michael A. Taylor gives Twins manager Rocco Baldelli a quality defensive option. He brings with him a Gold Glove that he won in 2021, and should enjoy playing defense at Target Field. Considering how much the Twins like to platoon, Taylor could get some occasional starts in right or left field.
Expect to see him as a late-game defensive replacement, even when Buxton is healthy. Also, adding Michael A. Taylor means that Buxton can be the designated hitter more frequently because the Twins now have a capable centerfielder in his place. That would hopefully save the wear and tear on Buxton over the long season.
Organizations Push
Michael A. Taylor also brings leadership to this club. Last season, the Twins led the AL Central for most of the season. However, an overall collapse due to multiple injuries finally caught up to them. The last month of the season they were basically using a Triple-A lineup. Because the team was so thin at multiple positions and lacked depth, they missed the playoffs.
Taylor played on the 2019 Washington Nationals team that won the World Series. He knows what it takes to win. He also brings veteran leadership. Add to that the signings of Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo, both of whom have playoff experience, and the recent (January 20) trade for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez, and what we have is an organization showing that it’s intent to push to be playoff contenders again. With their recent additions added to their current talent, and if this team can stay healthy, it could be back to winning ways in the Twin Cities.
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