According to Robert Murray, the Pirates have placed Michael A. Taylor on outright waivers. Taylor is still on the roster, but might not be on the team much longer.
Other teams will have two days to claim the center fielder, and if another team takes him, they assume his remaining salary. That would be a little over $700,000 at this point in the season.
Taylor is having the worst offensive season of his 11-year career. He’s batting .194/.256/.283 with four homers, which also leads to his worst career power performance. He was coming off a season where he had a .220/.278/.442 line with some of his best power numbers of his career. He started to hit briefly in July, but returned to struggling over the last few weeks.
While the offense has been among the worst in the game, his defense in center field has been among the best in the game. He also provides positive value on the bases. A contending team could add him for nothing more than his remaining salary, and have his defense and base running threat on the roster in time to qualify for the playoffs.
If Taylor isn’t claimed, the Pirates could try to option him to Triple-A. As a player with more than five years of service time, he could refuse that option. The Pirates would then likely place him on release waivers. Any team that signed him would then pay the pro-rated portion of his league minimum salary, which would save the Pirates about $130,000.
It’s likely that Taylor catches on with another team. The question is whether there’s a contender that would take him for around $700,000, compared to signing him as a free agent for about half a million less.
The Pirates have Nick Gonzales returning this week from the injured list. Gonzales played in his fourth rehab game in Triple-A on Sunday, playing a complete game at second base. He had a hit in each of his four rehab appearances, while progressing up to a full game in the field.
Taylor would leave a need in center field, though Ji Hwan Bae has been getting more time at the position lately, starting two of the last three games in center. Bae is hitting .186/.247/.214 this season in the majors, and hasn’t improved in his most recent call-up, hitting .174/.235/.217 since July 27th.
The Pirates have Nick Yorke in the minors, who has been playing center field for the first time in his career. Yorke is also hitting very well, with a .332/.413/.487 line in 260 plate appearances between the Red Sox and Pirates Triple-A affiliates. They also have Billy Cook, who can play center field. Cook is batting .287/.379/.494 in 377 plate appearances between Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliates. The Pirates acquired both at the trade deadline, and could turn to one of them if they want an upgrade over Bae.
