Taylor's recent power surge adds more juice to trade talk

NEW YORK – It’s safe to say that Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor has been in a power groove.

During the month of July, Taylor had a slash line of .326/.420/.837 with six homers and 12 RBIs. On Saturday, the first day of August, the slug continued for Taylor in a 6-2 loss to the Marlins. According to interim Mets manager Andy Green, Taylor has a lot of confidence in the batter’s box.

“He is turning himself loose,” the skipper said. “If he misses a pitch, he doesn’t worry about it. He takes a hack at the next one and trusts himself. He is doing a nice job trusting himself. He has a lot of evidence to trust right now.”

It was the highlight of the game for New York, in fact. With the Marlins up, 3-0, and right-hander Tyler Phillips on the mound, Taylor swung at a 1-0 pitch and hit a two-run homer over the left-field wall to make it a one-run game. It was his 10th homer of the season.

“It was just a very impressive, good swing from Tyrone there,” Phillips said. “We were going sinker in. I heard that he's on a heater right now. ... But he put an awesome swing on it. I threw the pitch right where I wanted to throw it, sinker down and in. That's what happens when you're 1-0 and get a guy who's going to put a good swing on a pitch … that I executed.”

Green took notice of Taylor’s great swing.

“He has been phenomenal,” the skipper said. “He has swung the bat as well as anyone in the league. It seems like he is homering every time we are putting him in the lineup. He absolutely crushed that ball today.”

Taylor’s recent power surge has made him a valuable trade piece. Not only can he swing the bat, but Taylor, 32, can play all three outfield positions with the best of them. He acknowledged that he has paid attention to the trade rumors in the last couple of days, thanks to the local media. He has had brief conversations with the front office about all the scuttlebutt, but didn’t reveal what was said. However, the distractions haven't affected his performance.

“I’m trying to stay present. Just trying to do my best to show up, be myself daily and do what I can to help,” he said.

Taylor sounded like a man who didn’t want to leave the Big Apple. It’s more than just playing baseball at Citi Field.

“I love it here, man,” he said. “I have my family out here. We’ve been here for three years. My daughter has done some cool stuff with swim classes, dance classes and things like that. This is my son’s first year. I love this team and staff. There are a lot of resources here that I know other teams don’t have. I love my teammates. Yeah, I love it here.”

Taylor’s possible departure could mean the end of a working relationship with president of baseball operations David Stearns that dates back to 2019 when both were with the Brewers. In one of his first deals as a Mets executive, Stearns acquired Taylor in a trade that sent right-hander Coleman Crow to the Brewers before the 2024 season.

“We have been together a while now. I just think he understands how I am as a player. We have a good feel for each other,” Taylor said.

Taylor started 2024 as New York’s fourth outfielder. By the second half, however, he became a regular in the outfield and had a slash line of .277/.338/.415 after the All-Star break. Then-manager Carlos Mendoza started him at every outfield position, but Taylor took over the center-field job from Harrison Bader by the end of the season.

Taylor’s success in ‘24 didn’t carry over into 2025. But he is a valuable commodity now and could be traded by the 6 p.m. ET Deadline on Monday.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” teammate Francisco Lindor said. “Hopefully, we can keep him. If we don’t keep him, hopefully, he will go to a place where he plays every day and wins.”