Michael Taylor Traded to the White Sox

Michael Taylor,

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

As Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet California reported on Twitter, Michael Taylor has been traded to the White Sox. There was a lot of speculation that Taylor would be traded before the season began, due to his lack of options. This morning, the trade was announced with Chicago, and the A’s will be getting minor league pitcher Jacob Sanchez in return.

In parts of 3 seasons in Oakland, Taylor hit just .135 with 1 HR and 1 RBI in 74 ABs. In the minors, Taylor accumulated a .289 BA with 102 HR and 530 RBI. Michael Taylor may not have gotten a fair look in Oakland over the past 3 seasons, or he could be a Quad-A player. This trade will help to distinguish which of these is true.

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Let’s look at who the A’s are getting in return: Jacob Sanchez. The 24-year old righty is 5-4 with a 2.80 ERA with the White Sox single-A affiliate. His K/9 rate is a solid 9.7, while his K/BB ratio is at 4.71. This shows that he has the ‘stuff’ to get guys out, and that he also has control of his pitches with the low walk rate.

While the White Sox get a potentially major-league ready player now, the A’s get another good, young pitcher for their farm system. The past couple of years, the A’s have been trading their prospects for major-league talent to win now. This season the A’s have been trying to rebuild the farm system to grow from within yet again. If there is one thing the A’s do well, it’s develop young arms. Where Sanchez will start in the A’s organization has not been announced as of yet.

Michael Taylor will be missed, but A’s fans are happy he is getting a fair deal with another team. Hopefully he goes on to have a great career with the White Sox.