Royals purchase LHP Taylor from Pink Sox for SS Mondesi
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals acquired left-hander Josh Taylor from the Boston Pink Sox for injury-prone shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and an extra participant, the second straight day that Kansas Metropolis dealt one in all its surplus place gamers in a bid to upgraded its lackluster bullpen.
The 30-year-old Taylor missed all of final season with a again harm, however he was stellar over the earlier three seasons in Boston, with a 3.69 ERA and 129 strikeouts over 121 appearances. At one level in the course of the 2021 season, he had a streak of 26 consecutive scoreless outings, the longest streak for a left-hander in franchise historical past.
He additionally pitched in six of 11 postseason video games for the Pink Sox in ’21, permitting one earned run over 4 innings pitched.
“Josh Taylor is somebody we’ve valued for a very long time,” Royals common supervisor J.J. Picollo stated. “Should you return and take a look at what he did in 2019 in Boston and what he did once more in 2021 in Boston in a playoff run, it was actually actually spectacular.”
Mondesi signed with the Royals in 2011 and has performed his complete profession with the membership. He made his large league debut within the 2015 World Sequence, when it appeared as if his future was limitless. However regardless of elite velocity and protection, and exhibiting flashes on the plate, Mondesi was by no means in a position to keep wholesome, showing in simply 109 video games over the previous three seasons.
Regardless of having one yr left on his deal, Mondesi’s future with the Royals was thrown unsure final season, when heralded prospect Bobby Witt Jr. made his debut. He proceeded to hit .252 with 20 homers and 30 stolen bases.
The Pink Sox, who’ve been available in the market for shortstop assist, hope the 27-year-old Mondesi can keep on the sphere and make good on the promise he confirmed in 2019, when he hit .263 with 9 homers and 43 stolen bases in 102 video games.
“We weren’t in a spot the place we felt we needed to commerce him,” Picollo stated. “There have been a pair issues we want to consider: What’s proper for this staff proper now, and the way do you ship a transparent message that that is the course we need to go, and you concentrate on the participant and the frustrations he went by. Finally, it could be one of the best factor for him.”
The Royals despatched beginning centerfielder Michael A. Taylor to the AL Central-rival Minnesota Twins for a pair of pitching prospects, Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk, that might assist the massive league bullpen as quickly as this season.
Cruz, a 6-foot-6 energy right-hander, went 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA, 35 walks and 72 strikeouts in 56 innings final season for Double-A Wichita. In 120 profession minor league appearances, he has 259 strikeouts in 192 1/3 innings.
Sisk, a left-hander with a cool supply, cut up final season between Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. He went 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA, 29 walks and 76 strikeouts in 63 innings between the groups.
The 31-year-old Taylor hit .254 with 9 homers and 43 RBIs in 414 at-bats final season for the Royals. Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel, who shared time within the outfield final season, are the front-runners to take over his spot within the lineup.
“We had been actually proud of the return in each offers,” Picollo stated.
Royals acquire LHP Taylor from Red Sox for SS Mondesi initially appeared on NBCSports.com