Mariners add speedy Samad Taylor to fill out 40-man roster
Jan 30, 2024, 11:28 AM | Updated: 11:28 am
Samad Taylor of the Kansas City Royals celebrates after his first MLB hit, a walk-off single. (Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
(Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
The morning after the Seattle Mariners completed a big trade with the Minnesota Twins for Jorge Polanco, they made another deal with an American League Central team.
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The M’s announced Tuesday morning they have acquired utility player Samad Taylor from the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The addition of Taylor makes Seattle’s 40-man roster full with spring training in Arizona just two weeks away.
The 25-year-old Taylor made his MLB debut with the Royals during the 2023 season, and it was a memorable debut to say the least. With Kansas City tied with the Los Angeles Angels at 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Taylor drove a pitch from Chris Devenski to the warning track in center field, well over the head of Mike Trout, for a walk-off RBI single. It was his first hit in the big leagues.
Taylor, a 10th-round MLB Draft pick by Cleveland in 2016 out of Corona High School in California, appeared in 31 games for the Royals last season. He slashed .200/.279/.267 for a .546 OPS with two doubles, a triple, four RBIs, 11 runs scored and seven walks to 22 strikeouts.
What makes Taylor valuable, though, is his speed on the basepaths and versatility in the field. He stole eight bases and was not caught once for Kansas City, and he appeared at third base, second base and in the outfield. In the minors, he has also played shortstop.
Taylor spent the majority of last year with Triple-A Omaha, slashing .302/.418/.466 with eight home runs, 23 doubles, three triples, 55 RBIs, 65 runs, and 43 stolen bases on 53 attempts.
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