Washington Nationals: Trading Michael Taylor Pros and Cons
By Tim Boyle
Outfielder Michael Taylor emerged from a darkened path last season and took advantage of an unexpected opportunity to play everyday. This offseason, the Washington Nationals are faced with a decision: do they trade him at peak value or keep him around?
Among the important considerations the Washington Nationals will undertake before Opening Day, the possibility of trading Michael Taylor is one weighing on their minds. The speedy and defensively reliable outfielder made a name for himself in 2017 after several seasons of underperforming. Though he continued to use his speed and play well on defense, it was Taylor’s offense that finally caught up with the rest of his game.
Taylor only had a chance to play everyday for the Nationals last year due to Adam Eaton’s early season-ending injury. If not for that, Taylor would have stayed on the Nationals’ bench and possibly even spent lots of time in Triple-A. A chance to receive regular at-bats allow him to find his groove and have the best season of his young career.
Through his 432 plate appearances, Taylor batted .271/.320/.486. He added many career-highs in the breakthrough campaign. These include 23 doubles, 19 home runs, and 17 stolen bases among other drastic improvements. Taylor even managed to sneak his way into the Gold Glove finalists. Ender Inciarte took home the award, but Taylor should again compete next year. That’s if he remains in the National League.
One good season doesn’t equate to an automatic starting job the following year. Just when the Nationals seemed to burn out from giving Taylor every opportunity imaginable, he shook things up.
Washington has a valuable commodity on their roster and a decision to make: does Taylor have a future with them or is he better used in a trade?