Back in late February the Minnesota Twins sent a prospect out west to Los Angeles to acquire Manuel Margot from the Dodgers. The move was seen as an insurance policy for Byron Buxton, but it also put an end to any hope that Michael A. Taylor would return to Minnesota.
Instead, Taylor went to Pittsburgh where he did a decent job as a starter for the first part of the season. Things have fallen off recently, though, and now he finds himself looking for work after the Pirates outrighted him over the weekend.
Taylor hits waivers batting an abysmal .196/.257/.284, which is a far cry from the production he had last season with the Twins. Taylor hit a career-high in homers and was far more active at the plate than the Twins were expecting — although he gave them a lot of that last season.
Once again the Twins are facing a situation where Byron Buxton is injured, and who better to turn to than the man who filled in for him last season?
Pirates waiving Michael A. Taylor sets up potential reunion with Twins
While Margot was the choice for Minnesota over Taylor, the results have been largely mixed-to-negative for most of the season. He’s shown decent flashes, and the team went to him for how he mashed left-handed pitching, but it’s not like he’s significantly distanced himself from what Taylor offers.
Offensively Taylor is a mess, but the Twins traded for him last spring to add his defense to the outfield and that would be the case again now.
The problem is that the Twins are largely in the same spot they were six months ago; the team isn’t really in the market for position players when pitching is a much more glaring need. That being said, Taylor is a known quantity and would be returning to a place where he had a career year at the plate.
Buxton had managed to stay healthy for most of the season, but is on the IL and trying to battle his way back in time for a postseason push. Margot is still around, but the Twins could have their cake and eat it too in terms of getting Taylor into the mix as a potentially more reliable option in centerfield.
Of course, the situation is crowded. Not only is Margot eating up innings but Austin Martin is bouncing around as well to help fill in. The massive red flag with Taylor right now is his offense, which is inexcusably bad. If he comes back, the gamble would be that a familiar place would be able to revive his bat, with everyone knowing what he provides defensively.
Above all, he’d come a bargain price considering what he was looking for this winter. Taylor’s contract demands weren’t even that aggressive, but the price of milk is something Twins brass stays up late at night sweating about, and there was no chance they’d spend over $7 million to bring him back.
That’s not the case anymore — Taylor’s price, not the Twins frugalness evaporating — and he could end up being a low-priced, high-upside addition that helps restore some of last year’s good vibes exactly when Minnesota needs it most.
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