The Minnesota Twins front office nailed the Michael A. Taylor trade. They gave up two prospects in Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz, for a proven MLB talent who is one of the best defensive players in baseball.

It was shaping up to be a pretty disappointing offseason, and since the Twins landed Carlos Correa, the front office has made plenty of moves. Taylor is a great fourth outfielder and the perfect backup to Byron Buxton.

Taylor won a Gold Glove in 2021 and has been one of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball. In 1,010 innings in 2022, Taylor recorded the most defensive runs saved amongst CFs (19). Since 2019, he’s tied for first in DRS with 37.

This is important because Buxton is bound to miss games due to injury and will likely play a lot as the designated hitter.

Offensively, Taylor is not the best hitter, but he’s not a liability either. Last season, he hit .254, with an on-base percentage of .313 and an OPS+ of 90. Again, it’s not great, but you can live with him being your eighth or ninth hitter.

He also recorded a wins above replacement of 3.2, which was tied for 105th in baseball. Chris Bassitt, Edwin Díaz, and Andrew Benintendi are just a few guys who tied Taylor in this statistical category.

The Twins gave up two prospects in this trade, but there’s no guarantee they become anything at the major league level.

Sisk is the best pitching prospect getting sent out, but the Twins never called him up last year when they needed help, so they must have not liked something. Last year, he finished with an ERA of 1.57 and a WHIP of 1.02.

Cruz has great stuff and can light up the radar, but he’s struggled heavily in Double-A. He gave up a lot of runs and doesn’t have a good command of the ball. Still, at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, there’s a lot to like about him if you can tinker with some stuff.

The Twins essentially added a three wins player to the roster, in exchange for two relievers who may never make an impact at the major league level. More importantly, he’s going to be a great option to have off the bench when Buxton is missing games or playing DH.

Let us know in the comment section below if you’re a fan of this move.