MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins acquired veteran pitcher Michael A. from the Kansas City Royals on Monday. A person with knowledge of the deal says it acquired Taylor and added depth and safety in the outfield in exchange for two prospect relievers.
Taylor hit .254 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 414 at-bats with the Royals last season, his second year with the club after spending his first seven years in the majors with the Washington Nationals.
The Twins will send 23-year-old righty Steven Cruz and 25-year-old lefty Evan Sisk.
Taylor’s best offensive season came with the Nationals in 2017, when he hit .218 with 19 home runs, 53 RBIs and an .806 OPS in 118 games. But its greatest value on grass. Taylor was a Gold Glove winner with the Royals in his 2021 debut and joins Byron Buxton (2017) and rookie Joey Gallo (2020 and 2021) to give the Twins the third outfielder to win that award.
Cruz, a native of the Dominican Republic, went 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA and 35 walks while striking out 72 in 56 innings last season with Double-A Wichita.
Sisk, who was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 16th round out of Charleston in 2018, split his season between Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. He was 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA, 29 walks and 76 strikeouts in 63 innings.
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