Per Robert Murray of FanSided.com.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed CF Michael A. Taylor on outright waivers, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com
The Pittsburgh Pirates are placing Michael A. Taylor on outright waivers, according to sources familiar with the situation.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 25, 2024
If a team were to claim Taylor, they would take on the remainder of his contract and Taylor would require a 40-man roster spot. Unlike being DFA’d, being placed on outright waivers does not remove Taylor from the Pirates’ active 26-man or 40-man rosters and he can continue to play. If unclaimed, Taylor would remain with the Pirates and as a player with more than five years of service time, he could reject any outright assignment to the Minor Leagues. Taylor signed a one-year $4 million dollar deal with the Pirates in March, of which he is still owed approximately $790,000 dollars over the remainder of the season.
Taylor’s placement on outright waivers comes ahead of a notable roster deadline, as players must be on their team’s respective 40-man roster or 60-day IL by 11:59pm EST on August 31 in order for them to be postseason eligible.
Taylor has indeed brought the defensive value the Pirates expected of a former Gold Glove winner, his 10 OAA ranks within the top 20 in MLB for all positions, but his bat has been anemic. He’s hit just .196/.257/.284 with just four home runs this season, a major step back from the .220/.278/.442 he hit with the Minnesota Twins in 2023 that saw him smack a career high 21 home runs.