Washington Nationals: time to move on from Michael Taylor

The Washington Nationals should part ways with Michael Taylor finally putting an end to an up and down career in the nation’s capital.

Michael Taylor has had an inconsistent run in his six years with the Washington Nationals and maybe a change a scenery could get him back on track. The Nationals have a couple of cheap in-house replacements who offer similar skill sets to Taylor who could step right into a reserve role.

Taylor had a breakout year in 2017 hitting .271 with 19 home runs. He was unable to duplicate the success in 2018 hitting just .227.

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He lost his starting position to Victor Robles and injuries cost him his roster spot in favor of Andrew Stevenson. Taylor spent the majority of the year at AA-Harrisburg, though he filled in heroically for Robles throughout the postseason.

Taylor needs everyday at-bats to reach his full potential and he will not receive them in Washington. His $3.2M salary should be easy to move and will give the Nationals more breathing room under the luxury tax threshold. With the extra space, they can acquire needed pieces late in the season.

Stevenson and Yadiel Hernandez are two possible replacements for Taylor. Stevenson matches Taylor’s defensive skills though he offers less power at the plate. He is a slap singles hitter with speed though and hit .367 in limited time last year.

Hernandez was signed out of Cuba and offers more power than Taylor. He jacked 33 home runs for AAA Fresno last year and had an OPS of 1.009. He does strike out a fair share, but in a reserve role can offer the pop off the bench the Nationals need.

Michael Taylor is replaceable and the Washington Nationals would be well served moving on. For the Nationals an end to his roller-coaster production will be welcome and for Taylor, a fresh start with more playing time could be his cure-all as well.