KC Royals Trades: 3 Michael A. Taylor deals to consider

Trading Michael A. Taylor to Philadelphia could be good for the KC Royals.

Kansas City must consider three main criteria in finding a Taylor trade partner. A team that doesn’t fit all three is hard to imagine as “in on” Taylor. Suitors must:

• Need a center field upgrade.
• Be a contender.
• Have prospects the Royals need.

The American League East comes to mind. The Yankees have a commanding lead of 11 games over Boston, but all three AL Wild Card spots are currently held by those teams behind New York in the East. The Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays should all be looking to catch up to the Yankees at the deadline, and all could use Taylor.

Then there’s Philadelphia in the NL East. The Phillies just lost Bryce Harper to a broken thumb;  he’s out indefinitely with the team only 1.5 games out of the playoff picture. For a club desperate for October baseball, the Phils should be willing to pay handsomely for Taylor

Philadelphia has relied heavily on centerfield on Odúbel Herrera, but he’s slashing .236/.275/.417. The Phils don’t have many other options and Taylor would be a substantial upgrade.

How about this deal?

In acquiring Taylor, the Phillies give up two top-15 organization prospects—Miller and Ortiz are ranked 10th and 11th by MLB Pipeline and could contribute as early as next season. Miller was Philadelphia’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 amateur draft and is 1-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 11.4 SO9 in 13 games at Double-A Reading. Ortiz, also playing for Reading, has spent substantial time in center in the minors and is slashing .233/.310/.444. He had an .834 OPS and 23 homers across High-A and Double-A last season.