Blue Jays linked to ex-World Series champion outfielder

Aug 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Blue Jays logo during batting practice against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays could be bringing in a guy who has done something that Shohei Ohtani hasn’t yet — win a World Series.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Friday that the Blue Jays have been in recent contact with the representatives of center fielder Michael A. Taylor. The 32-year-old Taylor remains a free agent after spending last season on the Minnesota Twins.

Best known for his defense, Taylor was part of the Washington Nationals team that won the 2019 World Series. He then went on to win a Gold Glove Award with the Kansas City Royals in 2021.

Taylor also hit a career-high 21 home runs for the Twins last season (albeit on a .220 batting average) and stole double-digit bases for the sixth time in his career. That is the kind of multi-tool production that the Blue Jays could really use, particularly since Kevin Kiermaier, who made 127 starts in center field for them in 2023, is a free agent himself. Granted, Taylor may still be a fallback plan for Toronto in case they don’t land this much larger name to play center.