The Mariners announced on Tuesday that they acquired infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier that the two sides were working on a small deal so that Kansas City could open up a roster spot for Adam Frazier, whose deal with the team is now official.

Taylor, 25, was able to make his major league debut with the Royals last year, after coming over from the Blue Jays in the 2022 Whit Merrifield trade. He made 69 plate appearances in 31 games, striking out at a 31.9% clip but also drawing walks at a healthy 10.1% rate, finishing the year with a .200/.279/.267 batting line.

It was a disappointing offensive output, but he also stole eight bases without getting caught and was versatile defensively, as Taylor lined up at second base, third base, left field and center field during the 2023 season.

Taylor is also the 2nd Royal to hit a walk-off in his debut. The other was Kevin Seitzer in 1986. Before Taylor’s debut in June, he Royals had lost 178 straight games when trailing by 6+ runs in the 7th inning or later.

While his batting was subpar in the majors, he thrived in the minor leagues. In 89 Triple-A games last year, he paired a 15.9% walk rate with a 20.5% strikeout rate and slashed .301/.418/.466 for a wRC+ of 128. He swiped 43 bags in 53 tries while playing the same four positions that he played in the majors with Kansas City.

(Photo Credit: SI)