He then suffered through two off-years in and . In 1965, Taylor appeared in 25 games for St. Louis through June 15, then was traded to the Astros for left-handed relief specialist Hal Woodeshick. He pitched poorly in Houston for the next season and a half, winning only three of 11 decisions (with four saves), and logged a nightmarish 6.03 earned run average in 68 total games pitched. On February 10, 1967, former Cardinals general manager Bing Devine, now president of the Mets, purchased his contract and revitalized his career.