Twins to acquire OF Michael A Taylor in swap with rival Royals

And you thought that the Minnesota Twins were done with everything ever after trading Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins. Well, egg on your face!

The Twins are in the process of acquiring outfielder Michael A Tayler from American League Central foe Kansas City Royals. The righty, who has played mostly center field in the majors, will provide stability in the outfield as a 1) non-left-handed bat and 2) as security in case Byron Buxton is injured (knock on wood) or needs to take a break from being in the field. The Florida native will enter his tenth major-league season, batting a career .241/.296/.318 (.677) with 281 RBI and 74 homers. He can also be a threat on the base paths when healthy. 2023 will be the second year of a two-year deal that he signed with the Royals, adding $4.5m to Minnesota’s payroll this season.

The Twins will send two minor-league relievers in return per Mark Feinsand of the MLB Network/MLB-dot-com. Southpaw Evan Sisk has spent four seasons in the minors, reaching as high as Triple-A St Paul last season. Between the Saints and the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge, he posted a 1.57 ERA with a 10.9 K/BB and a 1.016 WHIP. Righty Steven Cruz has spent his entire minor league career with Minnesota, posting a 4.07 ERA across 192.1 innings. His 2022 campaign was spent with Wichita, posting a 5.14 ERA in 56 innings. He had a high K/9 (11.6) but is bitten by walks (5.6 BB/9) and his WHIP (1.589).

UPDATE: The Twins formally announced the trade and have designated A. J. Alexy for assignment, making room on the 40-man roster for the new outfielder. Alexy was claimed by the Washington Nationals off of waivers from the Texas Rangers and then traded to the Minnesota Twins a couple weeks ago in exchange for righty Cristian Jimenez.

Welcome aboard, Michael A Taylor!