Washington Nationals announce Michael A. Taylor cleared waivers, elected free agency

Washington’s Nationals reported this morning that 29-year-old, 2009 sixth round draft pick Michael A. Taylor cleared outright waivers and has elected free agency, potentially ending his time in the nation’s capital after seven seasons in which he posted a .237/.291/.395 line and was worth a combined 3.8 fWAR.

Taylor posted a .316/.395/.632 in 16 games and 43 plate appearances in postseason action while with the Nationals, but struggled to make contact consistently (31.4 K% in his career), and wasn’t able to claim a spot in the outfield given multiple opportunities over the course of his time in the organization.

Taylor avoided arbitration with the Nats last winter, agreeing on a 1-year/$3.325M deal in his fourth year of arbitration-eligibility, and was a possible non-tender candidate this winter off a 2020 campaign in which he put up a .196/.253/.424 line with six doubles and five homers over 38 games and 99 PAs.

He played in just 91 games total between 2019-20, however, with the Nationals stashing him at Double-A Harrisburg in ‘19 as they went with an outfield mix of Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Adam Eaton on the way to their World Series win.

Taylor filled in for an injured Robles during the club’s postseason run in 2019, and put up a .333/.391/.619 line with two home runs in eight games and five starts.

MLBTraderumors.com projected a raise for Taylor to somewhere between $3.4-$3.8M in 2020.