Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays added Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline to give the club some added depth across the field, as the South Carolina product could slot in at second base, first base, and all the outfield spots as needed. With the Jays looking to make a deep postseason run, Merrifield was helpful late in the season, as the righty-batter posted a .281/.323/.446 with 10 extra-base hits, 15 RBIs, and a .769 OPS while splitting time at second base and in the outfield.

That play has carried over into the 2023 season, as Merrifield currently owns a .729 OPS with nine doubles, one home run, and 11 stolen bases, which currently leads the Blue Jays squad. Defensively, Merrifield has the most reps at second base (18) and is the club’s left fielder when Daulton Varsho is out of the lineup or moved to centre field. He is currently earning $7 million this season and has a mutual option worth $18 million next season but so far, the Merrifield acquisition has worked well in the Jays’ favour.

To make the deal happen, Ross Atkins and co. sent Samad Taylor and Max Castillo to the Royals, with Taylor ranked at #16 on the Jays’ top prospect rankings prior to the trade. With the 2023 season underway, let’s see how the two prospects are faring with their new club.

Samad Taylor

At the time of the trade, Taylor was suiting up in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons and was sporting a .258 batting average with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases. Taylor was splitting his time between second base and left field and had just two errors through 528 innings but was on the injured list at the time of the trade and didn’t suit up with the Royals Triple-A affiliate to finish out the year. The California product finished out the year in the Arizona Fall League but struggled at the plate, going 10 for 66 with 10 RBIs.

This offseason, the Royals added Taylor to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and Taylor made a strong case this spring to make the Opening Day roster (.360 average, two home runs, and a 1.174 OPS) but he was sent to Triple-A Omaha to start the year. So far this year, Taylor is making a strong case for a callup, as the right-handed batter owns a .299/.374/.417 slash line with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and a .790 OPS through 144 at-bats, adding 17 stolen bases as well. He has spent most of the season at second base, amassing a .971 fielding percentage, while also spending time in centre field with one outfield assist.