The Los Angeles Dodgers have several marquee free agents this winter, and among them is super utility man Chris Taylor who is key to the team’s versatility.
This marks the first time Taylor is a free agent, as he signed a two-year contract extension in February 2020 to buy out his final arbitration years. Now the 31-year-old is coming off a first career All-Star campaign and primed to ink a lucrative deal.
That’s despite the Dodgers extending a qualifying offer to Taylor, which he is expected to decline and as a result will have draft pick compensation tied to his market.
In addition to the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers are pursuing Taylor as well, David Vassegh said on SportsNet LA:
“From what I’ve been told from sources around baseball, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants are two teams that are definitely in on Chris Taylor.”
According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com, the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and others are interested in Taylor as well:
The utility man is drawing interest from the Red Sox, Cardinals, Rangers, Giants, Marlins and others, according to sources.
There are prior connections with both teams, as Rangers manager Chris Woodward was the Dodgers’ third base coach at time of the trade for Taylor, and the two were in the Seattle Mariners’ system.
Meanwhile, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi overlapped with Taylor during his tenure as general manager of the Dodgers.
L.A. reportedly considered offering a contract extension to Taylor during the season, but it is unclear if they did end up presenting it.
Taylor has hit .261/.337/.443 with a 111 wRC+ and 14.5 WAR across 743 games played in his career.
Taylor has loved playing for Dodgers
While Taylor is free to sign with any club, possibly remaining with the Dodgers appears to carry some meaning.
“It’s been a lot of fun playing with these guys,” Taylor said after the National League Championship Series. “I’ve loved every minute of it. Definitely disappointed, but it’s been a joy to be part of this team.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. All I can say is I’ve loved every minute I’ve been a Dodger. I have no idea what’s going to happen this offseason, but the last five seasons I’ve been here, it’s been amazing. I’m so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to play for the Dodgers.”
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