Royals must move Taylor at deadline


The Royals this season have played some horrible baseball, but I think they have a better team on the field than they have shown. Despite the Royals potential, the team must be active during the upcoming trade deadline. Kansas City has many trade chips for contending teams to consider including gold glove outfielder Michael A Taylor. Taylor came to Kansas City by the way of free agency in November of 2020 on a one year deal worth $1.75 million. The Royals had been looking for a replacement for center fielder Lorenzo Cain who left for the Brewers in 2018. The Royals tried to find Cain's replacement in 2019 by signing speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton to a one year deal worth $5.25 million. Unfortunately for Hamilton and the Royals, the signing failed horribly. Kansas City designated Hamilton for assignment on August 16. Since signing with the Royals, Taylor has provided the team with gold glove defense  in center field. While Taylor's offensive numbers don't jump off the page, they definitely beat Hamilton's production. Taylor's first year in the City of Fountains was a great one. The then 30-year old posted a .244 batting average with 12 home runs and 54 runs batted in. Following the end of the 2021 season, the Royals signed Taylor to a 2-year deal worth $9 million guaranteed. While Taylor has been a good addition for the Royals, the team must flip him at the trade deadline to help continue to build the minor league system. According to MLB Trade Rumors, a few teams have shown interest in the gold glove outfielder, including the Marlins. The Yankees and the Phillies have been mentioned as potential suitors for the Royals center fielder. While Taylor has had a decent season thus far in 2022 for the Royals, he must continue to improve at the plate. KC will most likely be looking to continue to shop Taylor as the trade deadline nears. While I think the team should move Taylor, I also understand why they would hold on to him with the lack of center field options in the minor league system. Kansas City will likely consider keeping Taylor around a few more seasons because he has the speed to cover the giant outfield at Kauffman Stadium, but ultimately, I believe Taylor will be in another uniform by the deadline along with other Royals players.

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