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The Chicago White Sox have signed a contract with veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor, sources told FanSided's Robert Murray.
The deal is worth $1.95 million over one year with performance bonuses, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported.
Taylor comes to the 121-loss White Sox from Pittsburgh, where he appeared in 113 games last season, hitting .193 with a .543 OPS and 12 stolen bases. His 50 wRC+ was third-worst in the Majors out of players with at least 300 plate appearances. His new teammates, Brandon Drury, was one of the two players ahead of him.
The Pirates released Taylor in September. He also spent time with the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals.
Despite a career that has spanned 11 years, Taylor has never really hit. He has a career 80 OPS+ with an on-base percentage of .290. Overall, Taylor strikes out too much, owning a 30% strikeout rate that ballooned to 35% last year while his ISO reached a career low of .097.
But Taylor can still contribute. His real strength is in the outfield, where he has long been one of the best in the business. Since 2015, his first full season, he has 78 defensive runs saved in centerfield, good for third among all players in that stretch. His 62 outs above average are sixth-best in that span.
Michael A. Taylor joins a crowded White Sox outfield
Taylor joins a White Sox outfield that, for now, has plenty of options, with Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater all projected to be on the roster. Of those five players, only Tauchman had an above-average OPS+ last year, though he logged fewer than 300 at bats with the Chicago Cubs.
The question is whether Robert, long the subject of trade rumors, lasts the full season in Chicago. The 2023 All-Star took a significant step back at the plate last year, but White Sox general manager Chris Getz told the Chicago Tribune that he has high expectations for him in 2025.
“The expectation is he’s going to be our Opening Day centerfielder,” Getz said. “He’s had a really productive offseason and we have to find ways to keep him on the field. We know what he’s capable of doing when he’s healthy. And we look forward to handling him in a way that he can be on the Opening Day roster and he can be the productive player we’re accustomed to seeing.”
Taylor is also primarily a centerfielder, though he has seen time in right and left over his career. It would make sense for him to come in as a fourth outfielder and late-inning defensive replacement wherever needed.
