Twins re-signing Michael A. Taylor 'shouldn't be ruled out'

All remains quiet on the Minnesota front this winter, as the Twins have yet to make any sort of significant deal. To be fair, the Twins did make a move in free agency and signed former Royals reliever Josh Staumont but that's about the sum total of the moves.

Minnesota has added some players on minor league deals, but every deal so far has been some sort of low-risk deal with potentially high upside. Nothing has lived up to expectations fans had of the team chasing the most successful postseason run in two decades with actively trying to inprove the roster.

There are moves that seem to be in limbo, as trading Max Kepler and/or Jorge Polanco is near the top of the list of things we all expect to happen. A reduced payroll doesn't take the Twins out of the running to make a signing, and the market settling this month could lead to the team making a deal.

Pitching is the biggest need the Twins must address, but the situation in centerfield is not far behind. Replacing Sonny Gray is easier said than done, but finding a way to plug a roster hole in center might be as simple as bringing back the guy who played that role last season.

Twins could still re-sign Michael A. Taylor this offseason

According to FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, the Twins remain a potential landing spot for Michael A. Taylor as he sorts out his free agent options.

"A reunion between Taylor and the Twins should not be ruled out, with other teams interested in the 32-year-old outfielder including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres," Murray reported.

Murray also notes that the Los Angeles Angels have discussed signing Taylor, which mens there's no shortage of teams looking at adding him this winter. That seems like bad news for the Twins, but their prior relationship with him might be something that helps them stand out from the rest.

There would be familiarity on both sides if Taylor decided to return to Minnesota. He unexpectedly turned into the Twins everyday center fielder after Byron Buxton was unable to play the field last year, firmly establishing his ability ot carry the load.

Ideally Buxton returns to full health this season and can return to his duties in center, but there's no guarnutee that will happen. Even if Buxton is healthy, Taylor would be returning to the original situation he thought he was walking into when the Twins traded for him last year.

One of the reasons it felt like he was as good as gone was hs price tag. The assumption was that his excellent season filling in for Buxton would get parlayed into a nice free agent deal. That hasn't happened yet, not that it won't, although his market value might be out of the Twins comfort zone. Right now Taylor projects around $7 million AAV, which is a bit rich for the Twins anemic financial blood but isn't an unruly salary.

There's no doubt competition for Taylor, but there remains a chance he comes back to Minnesota which is more than what fans expected heading into the offseason.

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