Twins acquire OF Michael A. Taylor from Royals for 2 prospects

ByABC News
January 23, 2023, 9:59 PM

The Minnesota Twins acquired veteran  Michael A. Taylor from the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, adding depth and defense to their outfield in exchange for two relief pitching prospects.

Taylor batted .254 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 414 at-bats last season for the Royals, his second year with the club after spending his first seven major league seasons with the Washington Nationals. Taylor was a Gold Glove winner in his Royals debut in 2021 and gives the Twins a third outfielder on their roster who has won the award, joining Byron Buxton (2017) and newcomer Joey Gallo (2020 and 2021).

The Twins sent 23-year-old right-hander Steven Cruz and 25-year-old left-hander Evan Sisk to the Royals.

Cruz, a native of 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.

Sisk, who was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round in 2018 out of the College of Charleston, split last season between Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. He went 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA, 29 walks and 76 strikeouts in 63 innings between the teams.

Taylor, who turns 32 in March, is entering his 10th major league season. He is due to make $4.5 million this year in the final season of a two-year, $9 million contract.

Taylor is primarily a center fielder, though that position is occupied in Minnesota by Buxton, an All-Star in 2022. Taylor also has played both corner outfield positions.

For his career, Taylor has batted .241/.296/.381 with 74 homers, 281 RBIs and 95 stolen bases in 840 games with Washington (2014-20) and Kansas City (2021-22).

"Thank you, Michael A. Taylor, for your Gold Glove defense and the time you spent with us in Kansas City," the team wrote in a tweet. "Best of luck in Minnesota and the rest of your career."

Minnesota cleared a space on the 40-man roster for Taylor by designating right-handed reliever  A.J. Alexy for assignment. The Twins acquired Alexy, 24, from the Nationals in a trade earlier this month after Washington picked him up off waivers from the  Rangers in December.

Alexy went 1-1 with an 11.57 ERA in four relief appearances for Texas last year.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was included in this report.