Oct 19, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Chris Taylor (3) celebrates after scoring on right fielder Mookie Betts (50, not pictured) RBI double in the eighth inning during game three of the 2021 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers backed up a truck full of money to re-sign superutility man Chris Taylor. They didn’t have much of a choice.
Taylor balled out this postseason, proving once and for all that he would make a ton of money in a contract year. However, given Taylor’s positional flexibility, there were plenty of teams interested in his services.
The Dodgers are re-signing Taylor to a multi-year contract that’s sure to be worth quite a bit of cash when the final details emerge. However, given his importance to the Dodgers, these teams should’ve made a move far sooner.
Los Angeles had to re-sign Taylor given the obvious hole in their lineup with Corey Seager now in Texas.
Chris Taylor signs with Dodgers: What happened to interest elsewhere?
The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals all expressed interest in Taylor at some point or another. Boston has failed to add an outfield bat (yet), with Kyle Schwarber remaining a free agent. The Giants would’ve loved to issue a major blow to their division rival and continue to improve upon a 107-win team, and the Cardinals should’ve signed Taylor for his fielding ability as an outfielder and elsewhere. Yet, all three came up empty.
This is not to say that the Sox, Giants and Cards don’t have backup plans — they surely do. Boston made the ALCS last year with a roster they seem keen on keeping intact, minus Schwarber at the moment. San Francisco is perfectly capable of running it back, as they’ve kept the majority of their rotation. And St. Louis has one of the best defensive outfields in all of baseball.
Yet, kicking the Dodgers while they’re down, and adding a player of Taylor’s caliber, was an opportunity that doesn’t come around often. All three teams blew it.