Washington Nationals: It’s time to trade Michael Taylor for a reliever

With the Washington Nationals looking for a bullpen piece, could Michael Taylor bring them back the player they want?

The Washington Nationals’ bullpen struggles have been well-documented. I mean, Matt Albers can only do so much back there.

The Nats are stacked everywhere else around the diamond. They probably have the best infield in the game, an MVP candidate in right field, and two horses atop the rotation. The only thing holding them back from greatness is the bullpen – luckily, Washington has an emerging, yet expendable outfielder in Michael Taylor to use as trade bait.

Since Adam Eaton went down in April, Taylor has manned centerfield on both sides of the ball admirably. He is just 26 years old, with a solid .280 average and a robust .516 slugging percentage this year.

Why would the Washington Nationals be willing to part with a 26-year-old slugging centerfielder? Well because this is likely the high point for him. Taylor compiled a sub-par .644 OPS from 2014-16. Taylor might have figured something out at the plate this time around, but his strikeout rate is still north of 30 percent, and his walk rate is miniscule. There’s a good chance that there is some regression there.

More from District on Deck

Still, he brings value defensively, and his team-friendly contract allows a team to take a chance on this season being the real deal.

Here are several teams that could send a reliever to the Washington Nationals in return for Taylor.

Kansas City Royals

What made Kansas City so great in 2014-15 was its combination of budding youngsters and a top-notch bullpen. Well now, the Royals are milling around .500 for the second straight season, those youngsters are underperforming and up for new contracts, and the majority of those great relievers have moved on.

This works out well for the Nationals – Kelvin Herrera and Joakim Soria are both solid relief options with contracts that the small-market Royals are going to want to deal. Herrera has another year of arbitration until he hits free agency in 2019, while Soria is under contract for $9 million in 2018, and $10 million in 2019 (although the team can buyout Soria for $1 million in 2019).

Soria is still a fine pitcher (3.66 ERA, 1.73 FIP, career-high 11.81 K/9 so far this year), and he would be an instant upgrade on the Nats’ late-inning dumpster fire. But Washington should really go after Herrera. His numbers are down this season (4.35 ERA), but he is still just 27 years old, with a short-term contract to boot. From 2014-16, Herrera posted a 2.30 ERA over 211.2 innings – that stuff is clearly still there.

On the other side, Taylor makes sense for Kansas City. Lorenzo Cain is currently the Royals’ everyday centerfielder – Cain has put together a bounce-back season thus far, but Kansas City seems unlikely to pay the 31-year-old in free agency this offseason. Taylor is under contract through 2020. Even if the Royals do want to re-sign Cain, Taylor could shift over to left field in place of the ghost of Alex Gordon (.211/.304/.346 line since the start of 2016).

Baltimore Orioles

The two teams could work out a deal despite their long-standing issues. Baltimore is unlikely to trade injured closer Zach Britton, but set-up guys Brad Brach and Darren O’Day should be in play. Brach is pitching well again this year (2.72 ERA), and would be more desirable in terms of age and contract – he is 31 years old and a free agent after 2018, compared to O’Day who is 34, making more money annually, and signed through 2019.

For Baltimore, it might be time to move on from fan favorite Adam Jones in centerfield. From 2012-14 Jones compiled a 119 OPS+ (100 is average). But from 2015-17, that number is down to a 102 OPS+, including 95 this season. He is a free agent after 2018, making him a possible trade candidate this offseason if the Orioles want to dump his salary. Taylor could be the next centerfielder at Camden Yards.

Chicago White Sox

The ‘David Robertson to the Nats’ rumors have been swirling for some time now, as the White Sox are clearly looking to the future and have no need for 32-year-old closer who is owed $13 million next season.

The Washington Nationals, on the other hand, definitely have a need for that. Robertson has rebounded this year – he owns a 3.18 ERA, backed by a significant spike in strikeouts and a dip in walks. He would be a big boon to the Washington ‘pen come October.

Taylor would fit well with the rebuilding ChiSox who are going to need another outfielder once they let Melky Cabrera walk in free agency.

Letting Taylor go might make some Washington fans squeamish – after all, Eaton is out for the year and 38-year-old Jayson Werth is on his last leg (and a free agent after the season). Not a ton of depth there.

But the Nats are in win-now mode. Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Anthony Rendon four of the top-10 hitters in the National League by OPS. It is time to push their chips in and go get a respectable bullpen arm.

Next: Kurkjian talks Nats bullpen and more

It would be a shame if the Washington Nationals let Michael A. Taylor get in the way of what would otherwise be the World Series favorite.

With the Washington Nationals looking for a bullpen piece, could Michael Taylor bring them back the player they want?

More from District on Deck

Schedule