Twins Rumors: AL East team has been in ‘recent contact’ with Michael A. Taylor

It’s been a frustratingly quiet offseason for the Minnesota Twins thus far. The most successful postseason in two decades has been chased by inactivity in the open market, with the Twins neither making a free agent addition or completing a trade to add a meaningful piece to the lineup.

Meanwhile, key players like Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda have left in free agency with Emilio Pagan and Tyler Mahle following not far behind. Gray is by far the biggest loss so far, and replacing him in the starting rotation is among the most critical things the Twins must do this winter.

That group of exiting free agents is expected to grow before long. While the league is set to enter a holiday break, the pause button is being hit as a Twins player is mid-frame between leaving for another team.

AL East team interested in signing Michael A. Taylor

Perhaps the most clutch addition the Twins made last season was trading for Michael A. Taylor during the spring. He was meant to help take some of the load off Byron Buxton in center, but he ended up becoming an everyday player thanks to how things shook out.

Taylor masterfully filled in for Buxton all season, and is in a position to parlay his year into a nice free agent contract. Teams out east have been sniffing around, with the New York Mets last being mentioned as a potential landing spot, but they aren’t alone.

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Toronto Blue Jays have recently been in contact with Taylor’s camp about a possible deal.

This is significant for a couple of different reasons, not the least of which is that it would officially take a reunion with the Twins off the table. It was likely that he would leave, something that became even more of a possibility when Minnesota slashed its payroll, but there was always an outside chance he came back.

Losing Taylor isn’t fatal, as the Twins have some pieces they can move around to help fill the void. Ideally Buxton comes back and is fully healthy next season, but the rise of Austin Martin might be something to keep an eye on here as well.

Toronto is a team that has been mentioned in the same sentence as teh Twins more than once these last few months. Minnesota ended its 19 year postseason losing streak against the Blue Jays but they two sides have been noted as potential trade partners in the near future.

Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler are valuable currency the Twins can flip, and Toronto could be a landing spot for them both. If the Jays also go out and sign Taylor, it would potentially crate a scenario where their Opening Day roster has three former Twins starters in the lineup.

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