North Shore Nine

The Pirates have signed free-agent outfielder Michael A. Taylor to a one-year, $4 million contract.

As mentioned by Jason Mackey above, Taylor brought home the 2021 AL Gold Glove for Centerfield. He is also coming off his career-best in terms of power.

Taylor hit 21 home runs last year for the Twins, but saw his average come down 34 points from the previous year which probably illustrates a change in approach.

Taylor also brings some playoff experience to the clubhouse. He won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals and holds an .861 OPS in the postseason.

Pirate fans will be interested to see how he fits into this outfield group. Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski are locks to be in the lineup, but my guess is that Derek Shelton will want Taylor’s defense in center, or PNC Park’s monstrous left field.

We will have to wait and see how this affects the playing time and roster spots of Connor Joe, Edward Olivares and Joshua Palacios.

As always, join fellow Pirates fans in the North Shore Nine Discord.