The Royals announced Monday that they’ve signed outfielder Michael A. Taylor to a one-year, Major League contract. A client of the newly formed ALIGND Sports, Taylor will receive a $1.75MM base salary and another $1MM worth of available incentives, reports Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, the Royals have designated left-hander Foster Griffin for assignment.
Taylor, 29, was outrighted off the Nationals’ 40-man roster at season’s end and elected free agency. He would’ve been arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter, and the Nats opted to cut him loose early rather than pay him a raise on last year’s $3.325MM salary following a rough 2020 season.
Once ranked as one of the game’s premier outfield prospects, Taylor has struggled to find his footing as a consistent contributor in the big leagues. He looked to have broken out with a very solid age-26 campaign back in 2017, when he slashed .271/.320/.486 with 19 homers, 23 doubles, three triples, 17 steals and brilliant center-field defense. Taylor played in 118 games that season and was still worth about three wins above replacement per both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs.
Unfortunately, Taylor wasn’t able to replicate his success in 2018 or at any point thereafter. He’s logged 581 plate appearances in the three years since that time — often being shuttled between Triple-A and the Majors — while posting a tepid .225/.284/.370 output at the plate. His blend of power and speed is plain to see, but Taylor’s overall offense is limited by a sky-high 31.7 percent strikeout rate to this point in his career.
Taylor has continued to post strong defensive marks, with a superlative 26 Defensive Runs Saved and a 12.1 UZR/150 in 1984 innings as a center fielder from 2017-20. Even if his bat doesn’t recover, he should give the Royals a high-quality defender capable of playing all three outfield positions. Per Statcast, Taylor ranked in the 91st percentile of all big leaguers in terms of outfield jumps, and his 82nd percentile sprint speed speaks to the value he can add on the bases.
Taylor joins a Royals roster that was already deep in outfield-capable players, though several of them are surely to be used in the infield at times (or even regularly) in 2021. Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier, for instance, can each be used on the right side of the diamond or in the outfield. Dozier could be the club’s long-term first baseman, though that’s probably somewhat dependent on any decisions the club makes with Ryan O’Hearn and/or Ryan McBroom this winter. Merrifield, meanwhile, can play all across the outfield and is a strong defender at second base as well.
Beyond that versatile pairing, the Royals have Franchy Cordero, Edward Olivares, Bubba Starling, Nick Heath and top prospect Khalil Lee all on the 40-man roster. Taylor could function as a simple platoon partner for the left-handed-hitting Cordero, or if he’s able to again approach his 2017 level of play, he could earn a bigger role in an outfield mix that is still largely undefined.
Griffin, 25, was the No. 28 overall pick by the Royals back in 2014. He made his MLB debut this past season and tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings, but Griffin underwent Tommy John surgery in August and will miss the 2021 season as a result.
Beyond that, Griffin has never developed into the pitching prospect the club had hoped at the time of that lofty selection. He posted solid ERAs through the lower minors even while walking more than 3.5 hitters per nine frames, but Griffin’s results bottomed out as he further climbed the organizational ladder. He pitched to an ERA north of 5.00 in 152 2/3 frames of Double-A ball in 2018 and saw that mark increase during his 2019 stint in Triple-A Omaha.
The Royals will have a week to trade Griffin, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Because he’s a former first-round lefty with multiple minor league options remaining, another club could place a speculative claim, but it’d be tough to carry him on the roster for the remainder of the offseason knowing he won’t be able to contribute at all next season while he rehabs.
There goes any chance of Lee playing next season :(
let the guy develop a bit. still only 22 and fairly rough around the edges. and im sure 2 million isnt going to be what holds him back if he’s really ready.
I would think this is to play centerfield, which is probably more of a threat to Nicky Lopez playing time. Moore’s off-season comments have been about returning to speed and defense. Lee was likely never going to start the season in the majors, regardless. Taylor in center, Dozier in RF and some combination of Franchy and Olivares in left. Whit at 2B where he belongs and Bubba and Nicky relegated to reserve duty.
Nah I think it means Whit moves to second. It’s Bubba and Nicky who are going to lose playing time. Lee was always gonna start the year in the minors. Moore made it clear we need to improve speed and defense.
RF: Dozier
CF: Taylor
LF: Franchy/Olivares
2B: Whit
Whit is below average at 2b while Nicky Lopez easily could have won the gold glove there last season. Nicky’s going to get every chance to find his bat. Whit profiles best at LF defensively and should slot there now that Gordo’s gone. Taylor will get the lion’s share of CF while Franchy will likely get a long look at RF. Olivares and Bubba on the bench. I think Whit will likely split time between LF and 2b quite a bit as Nicky won’t be a full time bat and we also need to get looks at Olivares who looked pretty decent last year. And with O’Hearn and McBroom having bad years last year I think Dozier will see the most time at 1b.
What I would do:
C: Perez
1B: Dozier
2B: Merrifield
3B: Franco
SS: Mondesi
LF: Olivares*
CF: Taylor
RF: Cordero*
*Starling will platoon with LF and RF
I think you’re exactly right.
That makes sense. I forgot we don’t have a first basemen. I’m not opposed to giving Nicky time work it out. In general I’m opposed to drawing too many conclusions — good or bad — from anything that happened in 2020 in any sport.
exhibit A that free agency wolnt be as brutal as people expect this year.
He got 1 million dollars…..
Or, 33% of his predicted arbitration number
What the hell are you talking about?
if it were such rough year for free agents then how is a guy like this (one good year in his career) getting guaranteed money, let alone nearly 2 million?
Smyly deal, too. There was a lot of worry about the low tier free agents. This deal has to make guys like Robbie Grossman feel better.
Nice pick up
Yay, little Chris Rock got a deal!
I remember when people were raving over Taylor. Now he’s 31 and signing a one year deal with the Royals. Time flies.
He’s 29
Thank goodness for the Braves & Royals, man. Without them, we wouldn’t really have much to talk about.
Not sure what happened with this guy. Not long ago, he looked like a decent fielding outfielder who would put up 20/20 seasons.
I think this is a good upside play by KC.
He is also a very good baserunner.
The Braves, Royals, and KBO lol.
Rangers 29!
Kinda forgot about the KBO. I pretty much abandoned them when MLB started up. Just like one of those rebound girlfriends.
Hey, man. You’re not sitting in history class, or whatever, & posting on MLBTR are you?
…
No live classes right now, just assignments for the rest of the day. I have work, but no classes that I have to be responding to in a live manner. I *should* be working on other stuff rather than posting lol.
Gotcha.
“I *should* be working on other stuff”.
Welcome to being a dude. You’ll be able to say that sentence until the day you die lol.
Any form of the word “should’ will be used a lot lmao. Should, Shouldn’t, Shouldn’t’ve. I posted on the Kim thread earlier btw (more procrastination lol).
Pretty much lol.
Man, I’m in the part of the year where I basically coast.
However.
My guys started a siding job last week. I *should* swing by & put an appearance in. I *should* be brushing my dogs. Hell, I **should** shave today if for no other reason than my girlfriend prefers it.
Alas.
Depending on at bats, he probably still profiles as a 20/20 guy. It’s the batting average, lack of walks, and prolific strike outs that does him in. The superlative defense is still there. He also seems to step up in the post season.
I don’t necessarily know why, but I love those speed/power guys on offense. Stolen bases have really been devalued in today’s game. (However, I’ve noticed the Astros, red sox, Dodgers, Rays were all good running teams. So.)
Speaking of today’s game, I understand the thought process behind TTO offense. With that comes an acceptance of low BA’s & high K rates. (One can argue about the aesthetics. But it is what it is.) I just checked out his stats. “Lack of walks” might even be a bit charitable lol. Ooof.
That’s what is going to kill him financially.
Walk rates *can* improve. Cano is a good example of a player who taught himself to be more discerning at the plate. I don’t believe it’s all that common, though. Also, Robbie started showing improvements in his second or third year. Ya know?
Like @Rangers29 pointed out, he was a really highly regarded prospect. I think he can still be a useful player & put together a solid career. Lots of players have warts.
In the end, this is just another example of “baseball is really hard, man.” Which is another way of saying, “Mike Trout is really good, man”.
Not too shabby
Assuming Franchy is the CF, Taylor comes in to face lefties. If that’s the case this is a good move.
Good move for the royals. Returns to form can deal him at the deadline if they want.
Am I the only one who is surprised he got a major league deal? Am i missing something?
Uh.
I can see it, @Bluejaysmania.
Solid defensive outfielder who can play all three spots. Has an intriguing power/speed offensive profile.
The talent is there. KC hoping for a rebound & that he can become a viable midseason trade piece.
Fair enough, thank you for a well thought out comment instead of some snarky ones I am seeing.
Hey, sometimes I’m actually a decent poster.
Ya know, the Blue Jays are kind of hording the “in on free agent X” headlines lately. & rightly so. They have something going on. If they choose to capitalize on a down market they could become a pretty big problem for the Yanks. I mean, even *more so* than they were last year.
Anyway, I actually wonder if the Jays thought about him. I know some of it was due to the field they were playing on, but their outfield defense looked rugged.
He’s not going to be the star many predicted. Good fourth outfielders are still important, though.
That defense alone is worth 1mil. Add his potential to still break out. Why is it hard?
How many legit CF’ers are on the market? Not many
& that’s before we even mention Randall Grichuk.
I feel bad for Randall Grichuk. Seemed like if he put it together and stopped striking out so much he’d be a good player. Instead his page on baseball reference is sponsored by viva el birdos and says “Randall, such a disappointment”
Pretty much the same thing Taylor has been struggling with. Grichuk will hit home runs though and has decent defense. Taylor runs bases and has good defence. Imagine what both of them coulda been.
He looked pretty rough when I saw him play CF last year. I know pretty much all MLB players complained about the lights in Buffalo.
So there’s that.
But he may be more of a corner outfielder at this point?
Pretty interesting.
I mean here we are discussing the flaws of Taylor & Grichuk. They certainly have them. That being said, these are easily two of the best centerfielders on the entire planet.
Baseball, man.
I like this signing a lot. Good defender, plus base runner and fits a need in center. So far so good KC.
I remember when he was such a good prospect you could of trading him straight up for Babe Ruth
Nice signing KC .
Michael A. will be missed. Always showed up big in postseason play.
Royals making some solid moves the last couple of days
I like this signing from KC, veteran who is very strong defensively can show a few things to the younger players
Defense doesn’t go into slumps. And sometimes coaches see a little something they think they can adjust in a swing to get better results.
The royals saw this in Franco last year and that worked out pretty well.
Nice pickup for KC. I remember him in the futures game and thought he’d be a 20/20 or better player.
I don’t get this signing after they traded Brett Phillips for nothing. (Phillips has better speed and defense at pre-arb prices)
Moore really shows he doesn’t know what he’s doing….again.
Perhaps you should look at the projections for who the Royals got. Now awesome but average MLB player. Phillips isnt that.
Also Phillips is really really bad.
If Phillips is really really bad then so is Taylor. Taylor and Phillips are basically the same player – poor bat, great CF defense and speed, except Phillips is pre-arb. You can’t tell me rationally that Taylor is worth 2M+ when he just traded Phillips and his 565k for nothing basically.
Yes just back to back World Series and 1 title.
Phillips got his “four touchdowns in a single game for Polk high” moment in the World Series this year. That will be his career highlight and i don’t think Dayton Moore or anyone else thinks differently
On WAR/600 basis Phillips is better than Taylor. Do people realize Taylor is a 70 wrC+ bat? Now go look at Phillips who also happens to play better defense (with perhaps the best arm speed in CF). My point being theyre the same type of defense first player. One you had pre-arb and until 2024 the other you paid 2M+ for on a one year deal who is also 3 years older. What do you guys think Taylor is?
Good for Michael. His speed will play well at Kauffman. Michael needs a fresh start with a new team and some consistent playing time. First class gentleman.
Nice opportunity for Taylor.
He stinks. The goal is to get better as a team.. this does not do this
This guy had about the worst game I’ve ever seen a few years ago. Struck out five times. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, had a three base error that cost the Nats the game.
I was hoping the Pirates would sign Taylor. Not that I think he’s at the top of any ball club’s wishlist but they did sign Jarrod Dyson to play CF last offseason and replaced him with a waiver claim (Alford) and a SS with no outfield experience (Cole Tucker) halfway through the abbreviated season