Latest news with #AustinBarnes
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Letters to Sports: Dodgers should honor Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor walks in the dugout before a game between the Dodgers and Angels at Angel Stadium in September. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) It would be nice if the Dodgers could schedule a special day to honor Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor, giving fans and teammates a chance to provide a proper farewell for this pair of beloved, true-blue Dodgers. Anthony Moretti Lomita I'm sure Taylor and Barnes are nice guys, but they've been making millions of dollars and haven't performed for years. I don't think anyone has to feel sorry for them. Advertisement Mike Schaller Temple City Fans of '70s-era sci-fi movies can see clear parallels between the classic 'Logan's Run' and the Dodgers' front office behavior. Like the movie's plot, the Dodgers have concluded that former impact players now over age 30 are expendable and must be immediately eliminated. The struggling Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández must be taking note. Rob Fleishman Placentia Train to Oh-where Spell check can be so maddening. Recently a friend sent me a text with a spell check that I thought could catch on. He was spelling Ohtani and spell check changed it to OTrain. I like it. Dave Snyder Grand Terrace Rushing to judgment With Clayton Kershaw returning to the mound for the first time since last summer, why on earth would the Dodgers put rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, who knows nothing about Clayton, behind the plate when Will Smith, who's been catching him for years and knows everything, was available? Will someone please explain the logic behind that for me. Advertisement Jack Wishard Los Angeles Too much hustle Times Sports stories on USC ("Riley one of top-paid coaches at $11.5 million") and UCLA ("UCLA athletics works to trim big deficit") shows how college athletics has changed since I graduated from college (1964) and entered college teaching (1973). Athletic programs used to be ways in which universities kept students entertained and alumni involved (as donors), a side hustle to their main activity of education. Now, with coaches with eight-figure salaries, athletes with seven-figure NIL incomes, and transfer portals, education at universities has become the side hustle to athletic programs. How time changes. Henry A. Hespenheide Hermosa Beach Winning = $$$ UCLA wouldn't need to resort to "dynamic ticket pricing" to improve home attendance were it not for their inability to field an actual dynamic football team. Advertisement Steve Ross Carmel First things first So Lincoln Riley is considering dropping Notre Dame from its long-term football schedule to enhance the Trojans' chances of winning a national title? Lincoln, maybe you should work on beating the Marylands and Minnesotas of the world before annoiting USC a title contender! Jack Wolf Westwood Lincoln Riley says that USC has to "make a decision about what's best for SC to win a national championship' when considering whether to continue playing Notre Dame every year. I have news for you, Lincoln: If losing to Notre Dame knocks you out of a 12-team playoff, you weren't going to win the national championship anyway. Advertisement Brian Gotta San Diego What might have been So let's review this again. Overrated Clippers president Lawrence Frank says he does not regret trade of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round picks for Paul George. Mr. Ballmer: This one is up there with the Babe Ruth and Kareem trades. Billions don't guarantee anything if you have poor leaders. Weren't you CEO of Microsoft? David Bialis San Diego All they do is win The only time The Times writes about the Angels is during the Freeway Series. I wish the Angels could play the Dodgers more often, not for the articles, for the wins. Peter Zovak Temple City Good thing the Dodgers are not in the AL West. Advertisement William Morris Pasadena The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used. Email: sports@ Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Chris Taylor's Time With The Los Angeles Dodgers Is Officially Over
Chris Taylor played more than eight years in Los Angeles, helping the Dodgers win eight division ... More titles, four pennants, and two World Series. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Chris Taylor, the longest tenured Los Angeles Dodger (an appellation he held for four whole days after the Dodgers released longtime back-up catcher Austin Barnes), has been designated for assignment. Within seven days of such designation, Taylor will either be claimed by another club, traded, or unconditionally released. In actuality, Taylor could elect a minor league assignment in lieu of being released, but that seems highly unlikely. The end was nearly two years in the making, and yet still very hard for the player and the organization once it actually happened. It was sad week in Los Angeles, as teammates first said goodbye to clubhouse stalwart, and Clayton Kershaw-designated catcher, Barnes. But the team has made no bones about their ultimate goal of repeating as champions, and they don't seem to be leaving anything to chance. Through 49 games, the Dodgers' road to another title has been anything but smooth. The club find themselves in a dogfight in what is arguably the best division in the sport, just one game up on the surprising San Francisco Giants and one-and-half games up on the living-up-to-expectations San Diego Padres. After a win over Arizona last night, Los Angeles opened up a four game lead on the Diamondbacks. Yet, despite all the pre-season prognostications, winning the division is no longer a fait accompli. In releasing Barnes, the Dodgers made room on their roster and in the lineup for their number one prospect, Dalton Rushing. Through 31 games this season in Triple-A Oklahoma City, he slashed .308/.424/.514, with five home runs and 21 walks. By contrast, Barnes was slashing .214/.233/.286, all of which are below his modest career levels. Offense is not Barnes' strong suit. The Dodgers, even in May, are acting like a team that cannot afford a soft spot in their lineup even twice a week (when starting catcher Will Smith catches a breath). Despite his positional flexibility, Taylor's offensive struggles have been simply too much to overcome. When the Dodgers released the veteran, he was slashing .200/.200/.257, with just two RBI in 28 games. If you read that stat line closely, you will notice that Taylor has no walks in 35 plate appearances (but he does have 13 strikeouts). The high point of Taylor's career was the 2021 season, when he played seven positions over 148 games, made his only All-Star team, and finished the season with a .782 OPS. Since then, over 350 games, he has slashed .222/.307/.369, with three times as many strikeouts as walks. Over those three-plus seasons, he has an OPS+ of 88 (average is 100), and been worth a total of 1.6 bWAR. The Seattle Mariners drafted Taylor out of the University of Virginia in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. In 2016, the Dodgers sent pitcher Zach Lee to the Pacific Northwest in return for the slender middle infielder. The next off-season Taylor reworked his swing, won co-MVP of the National League Championship Series, and then led off the 2017 World Series by hitting a home run off Dallas Keuchel. His sliding catch in left field during the 2018 NLCS against Milwaukee helped the Dodgers win yet another National League pennant. Over the next two seasons, Taylor was again above-average, leading to his apex in 2021. That year he hit a walk-off homer against the Cardinals in the Wild Card game to push the Dodgers into the next round of the playoffs. After the season, Taylor signed a four year, $60 million contract. With his heroics in the rearview mirror, and the contract signed, things began to change. Kiké Hernández rejoined the Dodgers at the trade deadline in 2023 to serve as a Swiss Army knife and play both infield and outfield. And at the trade deadline last season, Los Angeles acquired a player that president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, has been eyeing for years: Tommy Edman. Edman hits from both sides of the plate, plays an above-average center field, an above-average shortstop, and essentially every other key position on the field save for catcher. Then, last winter, the club went to South Korea to bring in Hyeseong Kim on a three-year deal. Kim opened the season in Triple-A, and made his major league debut when Edman went on the IL with an ankle injury. In his first thirteen big league games, Kim went 14-for-31, playing solid defense as second base, shortstop, and centerfield. He has stolen three bases, and with his speed, has shown a great ability to take an extra base after a hit. The Dodgers are juggernauts. But in order for them to continue juggernauting, the team has to make mid-season adjustments. Those typically involve the pitching staff – and this year is no different – but with the bottom of the lineup not holding its own, with production off the bench non-existent, the team felt it was time to make a change…or two. There is no reason to believe that these will be the last that they make. Friedman will be active at the deadline, trying to take advantage of their (repeat) championship window, plugging holes in the hull wherever they appear. Chris Taylor had a great career in Dodger blue. His contributions on the field were only outmatched by his commitment to the community off of it. Taylor and his wife Mary have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through their CT3 Foundation, which supports families in Los Angeles and in Chris' home town of Virginia Beach. Taylor's personal outreach to, and friendship with, kids and families around the city show the depth of the man's character, and make him an all-time Dodger. Los Angeles will have to eat the remainder of the final year of Taylor's contract (roughly $9.4 million) as well as the $4 million buyout of their 2026 club option. They can afford it. And Taylor can afford to retire knowing he accomplished more on a Major League Baseball field than he ever could have imagined when he was just a middling middle-infielder floundering in the Mariners organization. It is always sad when these things end. But, when you pan back and give this player/team relationship its proper perspective, there should be nothing but laughs and smiles, as Chris Taylor, regardless of his stats, was a key part of eight division titles, four pennants, and two World Series championships. He will never again have to buy a drink in L.A.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers Make Shocking Decision on 2-Time Champion Before Angels Game
As MLB Rivalry Weekend draws to a close on Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to win a game against the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series. The Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw's return to the mound on Saturday, beating the Dodgers in a late-night battle with a score of 11-9. Advertisement Although starting pitching health has been an issue all season, Los Angeles is beginning to shift focus and make moves with its position players. A sad move took place when the Dodgers made the move of designating long-time catcher Austin Barnes for assignment on May 14. Jul 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Brent Honeywell (40) is congratulated by catcher Austin Barnes (15) after the final out against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Minute Maid Park. Erik Williams-USA TODAY SportsErik Williams-USA TODAY Sports This move happened as they made room for rookie catcher Dalton Rushing on the 40-man roster. It appears that they aren't done with making moves to bring in some younger talent. Dodgers Designate veteran Chris Taylor for assignment While they are on a two-game losing streak heading into Sunday, it seems that manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are moving on from another veteran. Advertisement Los Angeles made the move of designating 34-year-old outfielder Chris Taylor for assignment. Taylor has been with the Dodgers since 2016, appearing in four World Series in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2024 – and helping them win titles in 2020 and 2024. He's struggled so far in 2025, having a batting average of .200, a slugging percentage of .257, and an OPS of .457 while hitting for two RBIs. It seems that the move was made after news came out over the weekend that Dodgers' multi-tool player Tommy Edman will be returning from the injured-list. Edman has missed the last 16 games after sustaining an ankle injury in late April. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman (25) breaks his bat while hitting a Penner-Imagn Images Roberts and team seems to be turning towards younger talent, with players like Rushing, Hyeseong Kim, and James Outman recently appearing in the lineup. The Dodgers will look to snap their two-game losing streak and beat the Angels on Sunday afternoon.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why a tight NL West race factored into Dodgers' decision to cut Chris Taylor, Austin Barnes
Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes watches from the dugout during a game against the Athletics at Dodger Stadium last Tuesday. The next day, Barnes was designated for assignment, paving the way for Dalton Rushing. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Four years later, the memory remains uncomfortably fresh. The last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, they racked up 106 victories. They matched the best winning percentage in the franchise's Los Angeles history. They had seven All-Stars and three Cy Young vote-getters. Advertisement And it still wasn't enough to win them the National League West. The San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers still well remember, won 107 games in the 2021 season, marking the only time in the last dozen years someone else has claimed the division crown. The Dodgers eventually knocked the Giants out of the playoffs that October, but their elongated path through the postseason as a wild card team left them gassed in the NL Championship Series. They were eliminated six wins shy of a repeat title. Read more: Bloodied Tony Gonsolin struggles as Angels complete three-game sweep of Dodgers For president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the experience underscored an all-important truth. Advertisement 'Our primary goal during the regular season is to win the division,' Friedman said. 'That is what we feel like puts us in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal.' Thus, with another tight division race looming this year, the Dodgers didn't wait to act aggressively this week. Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor were struggling. Dalton Rushing and Hyeseong Kim looked like intriguing big-league options. And in two moves that were made in an effort to 'win as many games as we can' in this season's World Series title defense, Friedman said, the longtime veterans were released to make room for the rookies. Sentimentality lost out to the odds of even slightly better regular season success. "This has been a very emotional week for all of us,' Friedman said, addressing reporters hours after Taylor was released on Sunday and Barnes was designated for assignment earlier in the week. 'Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we're at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough.' Advertisement 'But,' Friedman countered, 'with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything — we felt like this was in the Dodgers' best interest … [to] put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.' Read more: Dodgers release Chris Taylor, parting ways with another veteran Note the first factor Friedman mentioned in his answer. Though the Dodgers are tied for the best record in the National League at 29-18, they continue to nurse the slimmest of NL West leads, entering Monday just one game up on the rival San Diego Padres (27-18) and upstart San Francisco Giants (28-19), and only four games clear of even the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks (25-22). Advertisement With their pitching staff already in tatters, at least temporarily, because of a wave of early-season injuries, the importance of consistent offense has also suddenly heightened; the Dodgers needing to maximize the production of their lineup to help offset a 4.18 team ERA that ranks 21st in the majors. In a world where the Dodgers were running away with the division, or pitching the way they expected after two offseasons of spending heavily on the mound, maybe they could have tolerated Barnes' and Taylor's combined .208 batting average. They might have been more comfortable giving two longtime cornerstones of the franchise a longer leash to turn things around. Instead, as club brass surveyed this year's competitive division landscape, they recognized that — this season more than most — every single victory could matter come the end of the campaign. That every single loss would make the challenge of winning another World Series incrementally tougher. So, as Rushing crushed triple-A pitching and Kim excelled in what was initially planned to be only a brief big-league call-up, the Dodgers did what they felt like they must. Rushing replaced Barnes as backup catcher. Taylor was cut loose so Kim wouldn't be sent back to the minors. And a roster that once seemed too top-heavy now has, at least in theory, more potential impact options to bring off the bench. Advertisement 'We didn't feel like coming into the season this was something that we would necessarily be doing in May,' Friedman said. 'But with where we were, all things factored in, while not easy, we felt like it was the right thing to do." There were other reasons, of course, the Dodgers felt motivated to make such emotionally conflicting decisions now. Manager Dave Roberts noted that Rushing (who was batting .308 in the minors this year, and has started his big-league career an impressive four-for-10) and Kim (who has hit .452 since arriving in the majors, and has impacted games with his versatile glove and lightning quick speed) deserved opportunities for more prominent roles. With most of the team's core players on the wrong side of 30, there are longer-term considerations about developing younger talent as well. Advertisement Read more: Clayton Kershaw shaky in his season debut as Angels take series win over Dodgers 'I think some of it is the [division] race,' Roberts said. 'Some of it is, you still want to continue to develop young players and give them opportunities with a veteran ball club.' Eventually, it was always likely that Rushing would force his way to the majors, and that Kim would carve out a niche with his well-rounded skill set. But the early pressure being applied by the team's NL West rivals still sped up that timeline. The Dodgers remember what happened in 2021. And, wary of having that reality repeat itself, they didn't wait to begin acting with urgency this year. Advertisement 'We saw it in 2021, winning 106 games and not winning the division,' Friedman said. 'We have a tough division [again this year]. We've got some really good teams in our division who are playing well. And so for us, it's about doing everything we can each night to try to win a game." Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Questions ahead about MLB's robot umps. Plus, another Dodgers veteran cut
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The Dodgers continue to shed veterans; Chris Taylor is the latest subtraction. Plus: Ken and Jayson Stark have more info on the automated ball-strike system, the Orioles part ways with manager Brandon Hyde and it sure was a confusing week in Philadelphia. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! On Thursday, we told you about the Dodgers cutting their longest-tenured position player (Austin Barnes) to call up a top prospect (Dalton Rushing). That left Chris Taylor as the new longest-tenured position player. His run with that title made William Henry Harrison seem like FDR. Four days after Barnes' DFA, the Dodgers released Taylor. (If you're curious, the next guy in line is Max Muncy.) Advertisement Taylor, 34, had his share of postseason heroics in a Dodgers uniform, including a 2017 NLCS co-MVP and a walk-off home run to eliminate the Cardinals in the 2021 wild-card game. But the utility player was hitting .200/.200/.257 in (.457 OPS) in just 35 plate appearances through the Dodgers' first 46 games. As Fabian Ardaya writes here, one thing is clear: The Dodgers are operating with urgency, not sentimentality. In both cases, the moves made logical sense: Rushing's bat was ready for the big leagues, and Taylor's release allows them to keep Hyeseong Kim on the roster, even after activating Tommy Edman from the IL (which they did yesterday). Rushing is batting .400 (.955 OPS) since his call-up. Kim is hitting .452 (1.065) with three stolen bases in 14 games. The urgency isn't likely to ease, especially after the Dodgers were blindsided by a sweep at the hands of the Angels over the weekend. They're still tied for the best record in the NL at 29-18. It's not a crisis yet. But in a tough division, and with pitcher injuries piling up yet again, the margin for error is shrinking. The Dodgers can't afford to coast on sentimentality. More Dodgers: From my latest column, with Jayson Stark: Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes recently learned something about baseball's Automated Ball-Strike System he found worrisome. 'There is a margin for error that I think fans don't realize, that a lot of players didn't realize,' Burnes said. So, what makes that worrisome, for Burnes and other players? When Major League Baseball tested the ABS challenge system this spring, players and fans watched the animations on the scoreboard and assumed they were fully accurate. But the technology, it turns out, is not quite as precise as many assumed. Advertisement The margin for error that caught Burnes' attention means a slight disparity might exist between the exact location of each pitch and where the technology places it. So players are asking league officials about how large that disparity is, and whether it raises doubts about the value of using ABS. And those officials, at a meeting of the sport's joint competition committee on May 1, acknowledged the margin for error's presence. Burnes, one of four player representatives on the committee, told The Athletic that the margin for error was close to a half-inch. In other words, the system could place a pitch that was one-tenth inside the strike zone four-tenths of an inch outside the strike zone. The likely outcomes, MLB officials say, are not that extreme. All ball-tracking systems include margin for error. The league uses the same Hawk-Eye ball-tracking technology for ABS that it does to compile reams of performance-related data, and clubs, players and media do not question the accuracy of that information. Balls and strikes, though, are different. The ultimate nightmare scenario would be ABS missing a call on a 3-2 count, with two outs and the bases loaded, to decide Game 7 of the World Series. While the league acknowledges the possibility of that occurring, it believes the chance of that mistake happening is greater with human umps than robot umps. Still, as the league weighs introducing the ABS challenge system for the 2026 season, Burnes, other players and some umpires are pondering if reducing the human element to implement an imperfect electronic arrangement would be worthwhile. As Burnes put it, 'If we can't get something we feel is 100 percent accurate, why even take the job out of a guy's hands who has been doing it for 20 years behind the plate?' The league appears fully prepared to take that step. More here. Three managers down, and it's not even June yet. After Derek Shelton in Pittsburgh and Bud Black in Colorado, the Baltimore Orioles parted ways with Brandon Hyde, who has managed the team since 2019, when he inherited a bum roster in a brutal rebuild. Baltimore went 131-253 in Hyde's first three seasons, with an understanding that better times were on the way. Advertisement In 2023, that plan seemed to come together, as Hyde led the O's to an AL-best 101-61 record. Even a 3-0 sweep in the ALDS didn't feel devastating. They had Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo — the list of can't-miss prospects seemed to stretch into infinity. … or at least the next half-dozen years? Instead, the Orioles took a step back in 2024. They were swept again in the postseason, a 2-0 manhandling by the Kansas City Royals. Following that, 2025 has been abysmal. At the time of Hyde's firing, the team was 15-28, better than only the Rockies, White Sox and Pirates. For a team with expectations this high, that's the sort of record that will cost someone their job. In this case, it was Hyde. Third-base coach Tony Mansolino has been named interim manager. It's been a weird week in Philadelphia. Our new Phillies writer Charlotte Varnes tells us about Bryce Harper's 1,000th RBI — that's fun, right? And yesterday, Mick Abel tied a Phillies record by striking out nine in his long-awaited big-league debut. For good measure, he out-dueled Paul Skenes for a 1-0 win — super fun! And then there was the low: Abel's debut came because Aaron Nola went on the IL. And yesterday, reliever José Alvarado was suspended 80 games for PED usage. That's far less fun. Alvarado was one of the more consistent performers in a bullpen that has been the Phillies' biggest weakness this year. That leaves Matt Strahm as their best left-handed reliever. Tanner Banks is the only other one, and after that? Well, I'll let Varnes and Matt Gelb tell you the bad news: 'There is only one lefty on the team's entire Triple-A pitching staff: Nick Vespi has big-league experience, but has posted a 9.00 ERA in nine innings with more walks than strikeouts.' There's one last bit of good news for the Phillies: With the Mets' loss to the Yankees last night, Philadelphia is just a half-game out of first place in the NL East. It's awfully early to start pondering the trade market, but with Alvarado now ineligible for the postseason, it might be time for Dave Dombrowski to start heating up the phone lines. Grant Brisbee mourns the loss of the Bay Bridge Series. As with a lot of great baseball journalism, it's not all entirely about baseball. The Soto Subway Series did not disappoint. The Yankees took two of three at home, and Will Sammon sat in the stands to relay the best (and worst) of the Bleacher Creatures' chants. Speaking of the Yankees: Andy McCullough's story on Cody Bellinger was written before Bellinger's grand slam sealed yesterday's win over the Mets. An interesting development in Boston: Kristian Campbell (not Rafael Devers) is getting work at first base. That could open the door to a Marcelo Mayer call-up. Speaking of the Red Sox, it is my personal opinion that their new City Connect uniforms are the best in the history of the City Connects. It's too early to suggest that Pete Crow-Armstrong could be an MVP candidate … right? Patrick Mooney says: Maybe not? From delivering pizzas to delivering fastballs: Meet Colton Gordon of the Astros. Advertisement One big piece of the Cardinals' surprise season? Matthew Liberatore is finally playing up to his potential. Twins Win Streak Counter: The streak reached 13 games before a 5-2 loss to the Brewers yesterday. That encompassed two wins in Boston, a sweep of the Giants sandwiched between two sweeps of the Orioles and the first two games in Milwaukee. They're still five games behind the Tigers, but they're in second place in the AL Central now. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The gallery of photographer Nickolas Muray's work, including portraits of Babe Ruth and Frida Kahlo. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
