Washington Nationals: Seven players that could be traded away
By Blake Finney
Michael Taylor
Even with the future of Bryce Harper up in the air, the Washington Nationals still have a surplus of outfielders. This will make Michael Taylor expendable and a candidate to be traded if they can find the right deal.
In hindsight, the right time to deal Taylor would’ve been this time a year ago, after he was coming off a breakout campaign. That year, he slashed an impressive .271/.320/.486 with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases while also a becoming a gold glove finalist.
However, last year he came back down to earth with a thud thanks to a .227/.287/.357 slash line and just six homers. The defense and speed were still there, but with opportunities limited after the arrival of Juan Soto and Victor Robles, the long-term outlook in D.C. is bleak for Taylor.
In the recent MLBTradeRumors arbitration projections, Taylor could be set to receive around $3.2 million in 2019. That’s a pretty fair amount, but should the team want to shed some salary, they could roll with Andrew Stevenson as a backup outfielder who plays good defense and will be earning close to the league minimum.
You may recall that in our recent FanSided GM Simulation, we actually dealt Taylor to the Texas Rangers. We included a certain pitcher who is next up on this list and we were able to get four top 30 prospects back in that deal, so in theory, the team could get a nice pair of players for Taylor, while freeing up a bit of salary.