The Mariners announced that they have acquired infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier that the two sides were working on a small deal so that Kansas City could open up a roster spot for Adam Frazier, whose deal is now official.
Taylor, 25, was able to make his major league debut with the Royals last year, after coming over from the Blue Jays in the 2022 Whit Merrifield trade. He made 69 plate appearances in 31 games, striking out at a 31.9% clip but also drawing walks at a healthy 10.1% rate, finishing the year with a .200/.279/.267 batting line. That offense was obviously subpar, but he also stole eight bases without getting caught and provided defensive versatility, lining up at second base, third base, left field and center field.
He has fared much better with the bat in the minors. In 89 Triple-A games last year, he paired a 15.9% walk rate with a 20.5% strikeout rate and slashed .301/.418/.466 for a wRC+ of 128. He swiped 43 bags in 53 tries while playing the same four positions that he played in the majors. If he could bring some of that offense up to the majors with him in the future, it would pair nicely with his speed and ability to shuffle around the diamond.
Though he got squeezed off the Kansas City roster, the M’s opened up a spot in last night’s Jorge Polanco trade, sending Justin Topa and Anthony DeSclafani to Minnesota. They will use that to add Taylor into their position player mix. He still has a couple of options and could find himself getting regular reps in Triple-A if he doesn’t secure a bench spot. Polanco will be the regular at the keystone while Luis Urías and Josh Rojas could be platooning at third, while players like Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty will be in the mix for part-time/bench roles. In the outfield, Julio Rodríguez, Mitch Haniger and Luke Raley could be in line for regular playing time with players like Taylor Trammell, Dominic Canzone and Cade Marlowe on hand as depth options.