Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Rumors: New York Interested in This Gold Glove Outfielder

Taylor is one of the best defensive outfielders that could be moved before the deadline this season, a Gold Glove Award winner with plenty of speed.

Max Goodman

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Andrew Benintendi isn't the only outfielder on the Kansas City Royals that the Yankees are keeping an eye on leading up to next month's trade deadline.

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, Michael A. Taylor is also on New York's radar.

Taylor, 31, is in his ninth MLB season, his second with Kansas City after seven years with the Washington Nationals. He's known for his speed and defense, producing a .241/.297/.386 career slash line. 

The former sixth-round pick is having one of his better seasons on offense in 2022. He's hitting .265 entering play on Monday night with a .724 OPS, both the second-best numbers he's posted in a single season during his career. Taylor has added five home runs and 24 RBI across 63 games.

His advanced numbers don't exactly jump off the page, though. Taylor rarely hits the ball hard (his 31.1 HardHit% is in the bottom 10% of Major League Baseball this season) and his expected batting average (xBA) dips down to .231.

Where Taylor truly excels is on the outfield grass (and on the base paths). The former Gold Glove center fielder is one of the fastest players in the game—86th percentile in sprint speed—producing plus-seven defensive runs saved in center field this year. 

Taylor has one more year of team control after the 2022 season after signing a two-year, $9 million contract with Kansas City last fall. That extra year would likely raise the asking price before this summer's deadline, granted Taylor isn't as valuable of an asset as Benintendi, a rental who has been spectacular offensively in 2022. 

As Morosi notes, Taylor could help to keep New York's outfielders stay healthy, playing good defense down the stretch and in the playoffs. Especially if the Yankees end up moving on from Joey Gallo and don't acquire any big-name outfielders, a player like Taylor would be a helpful acquisition, much better with the glove than other internal options.

Add Taylor to the list of outfielders New York could pursue via trade in the coming weeks. There's Benintendi, Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds (who landed on the injured list over the weekend), Ian Happ of the Cubs, David Peralta of the Diamondbacks and many more.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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