Royals trade Taylor to the Twinkies


For the past few weeks, the Royals had been rumored to be shopping Michael A. Taylor, and the Twins had been a team rumored to be interested in the center fielder. On Monday, the rumors came true when the Royals sent Taylor to Minnesota for Minor League pitchers Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk. Taylor came to Kansas City by way of free agency in 2020 when he signed a one year deal worth $1.75 million. Following the departure of Lorenzo Cain, the team had tried multiple players in center field including Billy Hamilton, Brett Phillips and Kansas native Bubba Starling. None of the three players could hold down the center field position due to lack of offensive production. In fact, the team signed Hamilton to a one year deal worth $5.25 million. The former Reds outfielder's numbers with Kansas City were embarrassing for him after the team signed him to a "expensive" one year contract. Hamilton would be designated for assignment in August of 2019. Following the outfielder's time in Kansas City, Hamilton has been unable to find a steady job in the big leagues. The Royals decision to sign Taylor was a bit of a surprise, but it worked out great for the team. Taylor's first season with Kansas City, he posted a batting average of .244 with 12 home runs and 54 runs batted in. Taylor's numbers definitely helped the team along with his incredible defensive abilities. The outfielder would go on to win his first gold glove award in 2021 with the Royals. Following the end of his great season with the Royals, the team signed him to a very team friendly two year contract extension worth $9 million dollars guaranteed. 
According to Jordan Foote of SI.com: "Taylor’s name was floated around quite a bit prior to last summer’s trade deadline, but the center fielder could find himself on the move this offseason with Kyle Isbel and Drew Waters ready to handle everyday roles. Taylor has one year and $4.5 million left on his contract, the type of contract any contender seeking outfield help can handle." 
Many Kansas City fans believe the Royals could have acquired a little bit more for Taylor than the two arms the team acquired. According to ESPN: "Cruz, who is from the Dominican Republic, went 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA, 35 walks and 72 strikeouts in 56 innings last season for Double-A Wichita. In 120 career minor league appearances, Cruz has 259 strikeouts in 192⅓ innings." The second arm the team acquired was Evan Sisk. Sisk was acquired by the Twins organization from the Cardinals for former pitcher J.A. Happ in 2021. The trade with Minnesota will unfortunately in my opinion leave many questions heading into spring training and the regular season for the Royals who will be looking to either add an outfielder by way of free agency or letting their in house options compete for the position. Kansas City, in my opinion, will go with the in house option. I don't blame them for possibly letting players like Drew Waters, Edward Olivares, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Dozier battle for the outfield spot. While I am hopeful that Waters can play center field for the Royals on a daily basis, Dozier could have the upper hand on the other candidates due to his contract with the team, not to mention his experience at the big league level and his ability to hit for power. Waters does however have the tools to become an everyday player for Kansas City. 
Although Taylor will be missed in the Royals outfield this upcoming season, it will be a very interesting piece of the puzzle to watch as the season nears and years down the road as the team looks to get back into contention in the near future.




















Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Royals: Remembering a Murder Victim

Image
The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and
Read more

Tyler Duffey hit or miss signing for Royals

Image
The boys in blue are looking to boost the bullpen through the minor league free agent market, and Kansas City signed a familiar arm, Tyler Duffey, to a minor league pact. Duffey spent time in the Cubs’ organization last season; however, his last big league stint was with the Twins. The 32-year old was a member of the Twins pitching staff for seven seasons before signing with the Cubs last season. Duffey was designated for assignment by Minnesota on August 5 and released just two days later. The righthander, in my opinion, is a type of pitcher that could boost the pen next season. Last season, Duffey spent most of the season in Triple-A. While in Iowa, Duffey appeared in 36 games and threw a total of 45.1 innings. Duffey started two games for Iowa last season. The decision for the Twins to move on from Duffey was difficult for the organization and rightfully so. The organization had plenty to say about Duffey following his departure from the team. Twins manager Rocco Baldell
Read more

A well traveled arm could boost the Royals’ pen

Image
Kansas City will likely be signing many pitchers to minor league deals this offseason. Spring Training this season will be fun to watch as many arms will be competing for a spot in a wide open bullpen. Matt Wisler in my opinion would fit the Royals’ bullpen perfectly, and he would be cheap. Wisler and the Kansas City coaching staff are familiar with each other. The veteran righthander was a member of the Rays’ bullpen in 2021 along with 2022, and he had good numbers. Wisler's time with Tampa Bay came to a surprising end after being designated for assignment in September of 2022. The 31-year old had good numbers while a member of the Rays bullpen staff. He posted an ERA of 2.25 with 35 punchouts in 44 innings pitched. Following the end of Wisler's tenure with the Ray, he signed minor league deals with the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Last season Wisler didn't see time in the big leagues while as a member of the Detroit and Toronto Triple-A affiliates. Wisler's t
Read more