MINNEAPOLIS — The stove is still hot for the ultra-active Twins, who have addressed their need for right-hand depth by acquiring the former Gold Glove-winning quarterback Michael A. Taylor From the Royals on Monday versus the Minor League relievers Evan Sisk And Stephen Cruz.
Taylor doesn’t make an impact at bat, having a . 670 OPS in 2022, but his role is significant as a right-handed insurance for Byron Buxton, whose injury history is well documented. Taylor should be an instant upgrade in depth over the youngster Gilberto Celestino615 OPS while forcing a big hit (122 games) last season.
Trade details
Twins receive: Michael A. Taylor
Members of the royal family receive: RHB Stephen Cruz (Twins probability number 28), LHP Ivan Sisk
Taylor was in the final year of a two-year, $9 million contract and provides the Twins with the right-handed option to mix and match at center field if Buxton goes down, with left-handers Joey Gallo and Nick Gordon also hitting left-handers in the fray. Given how much the Twins want to be on the platoon, Taylor’s .722 career OPS against left fielder could be an important consideration, even as a cornerback option or defensive replacement late in the game when Buxton is healthy.
The deal further mobilizes an already packed outfield position, with Buxton, Gallo, Gordon, Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Celestino, Taylor and even Kyle Farmer serving as potential options to roam the turf. With After Luis Araz was tradedKirillov and Gallo could take more at first base—though that would negate Gallo’s defensive value—while several of them could take turns at DH.
With the Twins potentially needing bulls-deep, they could still seek deals from that outer depth as well, with Kepler’s name still popping up in trade rumors throughout the holiday period.
One thing is clear, though: In its current form, between Buxton, Kepler, Gallo, and Taylor, this will likely be one of the Twins’ best defensive pitches in almost any configuration, with four gold gloves between it and Kepler’s perfect statistical metrics. in the field. This could be a boon in particular for Joe Ryan and Tyler Mahley, who generate above-average averages for flyballs.
On paper, this is a deep move that wouldn’t be terribly prominent on the national radar — but potentially very significant for the Twins. Consider Celestino, Jake Cave and Mark Contreras combined for 585 games last season due to the twins’ outfield injuries, or Cave, Celestino and Rob Revsnyder combined for 397 games in 2021.
With Buxton’s health concerns and the injury-plagued history of Kirilloff and Larnach, depth of field has played a huge part in the Twins’ recent history – and Taylor could bring some veteran stability there.
In contrast, the Twins handled a pair of undrafted relief opportunities in Cruz and Sisk, both of whom had interesting potential in the high minors but struggled with their control.
Cruz, at 6-foot-7 with a huge fastball, peaked at Double-A Wichita, but struggled with walks. Sisk was one of the Twins’ more intriguing bullpen options at the Triple-A St. Louis Cardinals. Paul due to his left-handed delivery with intense gunfight action – but his great strike rate is also dwarfed by control issues and very obvious platoon splits. Originally acquired in a JA Happ deal with the Cardinals at the 2021 trade deadline.
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