Beloved Ex-Dodgers Veteran Would Address Hated Rival's Outfield Woes After Brutal Decision
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The Los Angeles Dodgers will make no apologies for pursuing another World Series championship at all costs.
The team has embraced an "evil empire" moniker after consecutive offseasons of adding superstar players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell to a roster that already had Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
And as the team looks to return to the World Series this year, it hasn't spared its own underperforming veterans in the pursuit of roster upgrades.
The Dodgers recently cut both Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor, its two longest-tenured position players, as they were failing to contribute significantly enough from the bench.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout during a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2021 in Los...
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout during a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by)The decision to cut Taylor was particularly harsh, and not just because he is still owed $12.5 million from the team. He had become a fan favorite over 10 seasons in Los Angeles and some signature moments in the playoffs.
"Most Dodgers fans would likely say Taylor's standout moment was his walk-off home run off the St. Louis Cardinals' Alex Reyes to win the 2021 National League wild-card game," Ian Casselberry wrote for Yahoo! Sports. "He also shared 2021 NLCS MVP honors with Justin Turner. ... In eight postseasons, he hit a collective .247 with a .792 OPS, 13 doubles, 9 homers and 26 RBI."
Taylor has certainly struggled at the plate in recent seasons, but that playoff experience could be valuable to any number of teams looking for their own bench upgrade — perhaps even his old team's bitter rival, the San Diego Padres.
"The past month has seen a purported World Series contender regress in multiple ways after a franchise-best start," Dennis Lin wrote of the Padres for The Athletic. "The Los Angeles Dodgers released Chris Taylor, making him a hypothetical candidate to address the Padres left-field woes."
Taylor could be a great fit with the Padres as he's got significant experience in left field and might be an upgrade over the team's own slumping veteran, Jason Heyward.
Now that Taylor is a free agent, he could join any number of teams that might benefit from his versatility and experience. But a move to the Padres might be a tough thing for some of his longtime fans to witness.
More MLB: Dodgers Urged to Acquire $5.3 Million All-Star Reliever From Spiraling AL Club in Blockbuster Trade
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