A four-day stretch during the month of May saw the Los Angeles Dodgers make somewhat surprising decisions to designate Austin Barnes for assignment and release Chris Taylor.
Both players had prolonged struggles in their respective roles off the bench, but were valued within the clubhouse and had been long-time Dodgers. Barnes was the organization’s longest-tenured position player with this being his 10th season with the Dodgers.
Upon his removal from the roster, Taylor then became the longest-tenured Dodgers position player as he was also in a 10th season with the team. The Dodgers famously acquired Taylor in a June 2016 trade that sent former top prospect Zach Lee to the Seattle Mariners.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after the roster decisions were made. “Barnesy and C.T. 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 at this point.
“So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough, but with where we are, division race, composition of roster, everything, we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest, in terms of how to win as many games and put us in position to best win a World Series this year.
“Doesn’t mean that it was easy, but ultimately felt like it was the right thing to do.”
The Dodgers signed Taylor to a four-year, $60 million contract on the eve of the MLB lockout beginning in December 2021. Taylor’s contract included a $12 million team option for 2025 and $4 million buyout.
Last November, the Dodgers exercised a $3.5 million option on Barnes for this year.
Chris Taylor’s message
After being released, Taylor went on to sign a Major League contract with the Los Angeles Angels for the remainder of the 2025 season. That reunited him with former Dodgers teammate Kenley Jansen and put Taylor back on track to reach 10 years of Major League service time.
“I’m beyond grateful to have been a part of the Dodger family for the past 9 years. It was a hell of a run with plenty of peaks and valleys and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Taylor wrote in a caption for an Instagram post that was a farewell to the Dodgers.
“I especially want to thank all of my coaches, teammates, and the Dodger fans. Playing for this team has been a dream come true and I have created friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
“Looking forward to starting a new chapter in red across town 😇”
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