Groups searching for an on a regular basis middle fielder in free company are all the way down to Michael A. Taylor. The 2021 Gold Glove winner is arguably the perfect unsigned outfielder general, making it a shock that he stays available on the market into March.
Clearly, groups have but to fulfill the asking value set by Taylor and his camp at ALIGND Sports activities Company. Whereas the precise ask isn’t identified, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic studies that Taylor views himself comparatively to fellow glove-first middle fielders Kevin Kiermaier and Harrison Bader. These gamers signed one-year pacts for $10.5MM with the Blue Jays and Mets, respectively, earlier within the offseason.
It’s not an unreasonable comparability. Taylor is coming off a greater offensive season than Bader had in 2023. He solely hit .220 with a .278 on-base share, however he slugged a personal-high 21 dwelling runs over 388 plate appearances for the Twins. Bader had a equally paltry on-base mark however managed simply seven homers in 344 journeys to the plate between the Yankees and Reds.
Kiermaier’s offensive profile is constructed much more round contact expertise than Taylor’s is. His .265/.322/.419 displaying was barely superior to Taylor’s batting line. By measure of wRC+, Kiermaier was 4 share factors higher than a league common hitter a season in the past. Taylor was 4 factors beneath par. Whereas that’s not an enormous hole, Kiermaier has a multi-year observe report of roughly common offensive outcomes. Taylor’s 2023 hitting manufacturing was his finest in six years.
All three gamers are straightforward plus defenders in middle subject. Kiermaier is among the many finest defenders of his era. Statcast graded him 12 runs above common in rather less than 1000 innings final season. Bader rated as +8 runs in simply over 750 frames, whereas Taylor checked in seven runs above par in almost 1000 innings. All three gamers have battled accidents and spent no less than a minimal period of time on the IL a yr in the past. The 29-year-old Bader has a transparent age benefit over Kiermaier and Taylor, each of whom are approaching their mid-30s, though that’s not as huge an element on a one-year contract.
It’s straightforward to see why Taylor would put himself in the identical dialog as these different gamers. That stated, it’s troublesome to think about him touchdown a comparable contract at this level of the offseason. The market usually isn’t form to middle-tier free brokers who stay unsigned into Spring Coaching. Quite a lot of groups have indicated they’re up in opposition to the participant payroll they’re ready to hold into the upcoming season.
At factors this offseason, Taylor has drawn reported curiosity from the Crimson Sox, Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Pirates, Reds, Blue Jays and the incumbent Twins. A handful of these groups as a substitute addressed the outfield in different methods. The Dodgers introduced again Enrique Hernández. That signing was at the side of a commerce delivery Manuel Margot to Minnesota, basically ending the possibility of Taylor returning to the Twin Cities. Toronto retained Kiermaier to play middle subject.
The Crimson Sox, Reds, Pirates and Angels might nonetheless profit from a right-handed complement to their projected beginning outfield. They’d most likely all view Taylor as extra of a fourth outfielder than an on a regular basis middle fielder, nonetheless. San Diego stands because the cleanest match to supply him common run in middle subject. But given their organizational payroll constraints, it’s unlikely they’re keen to supply a wage in step with the Kiermaier and Bader offers.
