Dodgers Rumors: Giants, Red Sox, Rangers Interested in Signing Chris Taylor, Should LA Be Worried?
The MLB qualifying offer deadline came and went on Wednesday and as expected, Chris Taylor officially opted for free agency. The coveted utility man enters the market coming off his first career All-Star Game selection and a strong postseason where he led the Dodgers with a 1.202 OPS and four home runs. With his elite positional versatility and plus bat, a robust market is already forming around the former NLCS MVP.
According to MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, “the utility man is drawing interest from the Red Sox, Cardinals, Rangers, Giants, Marlins and others, according to sources. The Dodgers are also in the mix.” The key takeaway here is that the Dodgers remain in the mix, for now, despite the fact that Taylor rejected their qualifying offer.
A reunion will likely require LA to make him a contract offer worth anywhere between of $60-70+ million on a four or five year deal. We discuss Taylor’s potential suitors and who poses the biggest threat to sign him away from the Dodgers. Plus, will Chris Taylor’s connections to Chris Woodward of the Rangers and Farhan Zaidi play a factor in his decision?
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In 6 years with the Dodgers, Taylor posted a .264 batting average with 79 home runs and 299 runs batted in. His positional versatility helped Dave Roberts more than any stats could ever quantify and it’s tough to imagine LA having the same level of success without him since his breakout 2017 season.
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“Should LA Be Worried?” Uh….Yeah!?! Bostin and The Gnats would love to sign him to snatch away from the Dodgers
Absolutely. Imagine CT3 in a Giants uni. Really?
$15-17m, 4 yrs, doesn’t seem excessive to get a .260 clutch hitter who can play six positions well. I expect Dodgers are waiting to match or exceed any offer he gets, if he’s willing to stay. But at some point soon, especially if Bellinger finds his swing, Dodgers are going to have to let some stars go. They can’t afford market value for Belli, Muncy, Trea, Smith, Urias, and Buehler–plus whatever big contracts they give to other free agent starters.
There is NO replacement for Taylor in Dodger roster anywhere. They at least currently have a replacement for Seager
But if Dodgers let CT3 walk they deserve to miss October because they can’t keep everyone who’s a FA and maybe some players are not ‘ all in’ with playing under Roberts after seeing the several bad decisions he made this year even though they won 106 games. But then how does a team win that many games in 2 of last 3 years and not reach the WS?
I know how to solve the problem…Andre Ethier replaces Drrrrrrrrr……
You may be correct here but Ethier would not be put in place as manager that soon. But while they won’t publicly say so, some players may have grown a bit tired of some of Drrrrr’s in game lineup and pitching decisions and quietly express this idea, IDK.
Actually Paul if we think about it, in Drrrrrr’s system is where CT3 is most valued. The Super utility guy that helps a National league roster make up. Only problem is Drrrrrrr doesn’t play National league brand of ball except shuffling line ups and players daily. Taylor IMO is mostly valued because he’s a blue collar player who works his tail off and doesn’t cry about getting Spa days. He wants to be in the game even if we’re playing the Orioles etc. Guys like him are hard to come by and he’s been one of Friedmans gems. Ethier was yet another Drrrrrrrr flop as when he was finally healthy, he was hitting the ball really well and Drrrrr just used him sparingly as he sat on the bench like so many others and watched the offense slump in the post season. If you’ve noticed, it’s always Ethier that’s been involved speaking for the team, making headlines etc. I think he’s made it clear he wants involved with the org. Let’s hope so, the fan base would welcome him openly from the Bipartisan base as he was a awesome Dodger!!
Friedman probably wants to make the last offer. It doesn’t make sense to make an offer early to a player who fully intends to shop the market. That could work as long as we have a chance to match what he is offered elsewhere. It’s a reasonable assumption that we will have that opportunity, given that Taylor is apparently not upset with the team.
Chris Taylor has been good for the Dodgers but let’s not go overboard here. He only hit 20 home runs and struck out very nearly 33% of the time. He’s versatile but so are others around the league for a much lower price. He’s earned a big contract but Sabermetrics says the Dodgers aren’t the team that will give it to him. They can only pay so many players and my guess is it won’t be Taylor or Jansen unless there’s a home town discount. If Seager goes as well (I hope he doesn’t), then the Dodgers have money for the starting pitching they need. I think there are many twists and turns before spring training not the least of which is how the Bauer situation plays out.Interesting off season.
I doubt if Taylor wants to stick around. Just because he can play a number of positions doesn’t mean he wants to or that he thrives in a mixmaster program. I think he would hit better if he batted in the same position in the order and played more consistently in one position. That seemed to bear out when he filled in for injured players for a continuous stretch of time.
So much talent and too little room on a roster seems to be the Dodgers’ problem this offseason. Not to mention that so many of the 2021 players on the roster are now FA’s. Dodgers have money, but not THAT much money, to keep them all onboard and let’s face it, some of them, Kenley Jansen for one and Clayton Kershaw for another, are getting into the “golden years” of a baseball player’s career playing days. Granted they have a lot of talent and history and probably some good games left in them, but I just don’t see those sort of players staying in L.A. for the long run at all. I’ve seen and heard rumblings of the Dodgers trading Lux. What’s up with that!? There’s a young player who is really good and will only get better as he matures and figures out the MLB pitchers. As for CT3, IF the Dodgers lose him, I will be pretty upset. He’s proved his worth as a premiere utility player, all-star and his bat, although not stellar numbers is CLUTCH! I would hate see Chris Taylor go elsewhere. Seager, quite honestly, I can do with, or without. Trea Turner is a much more able infielder and has a way more consistent bat. Muncy is also a key to the Dodgers’ success in my humble opinion. Also a clutch bat and not a bad first baseman, either. Belli?… .hmmmm… Bellinger, when he is on his game is an elite player, both defensively and offensively. Hopefully, the Dodgers will keep him around for a long time, as I strongly feel that he’ll be back as a hitter next season and onward. The Drrrrrrrrrr….. in my opinion made some terrible pitching decisions during 2021 and yet we still won 106 games! THAT speaks volumes about the talent on this Dodgers 2021 team. Too bad they didn’t make it to the WS, which again, I put that on the Drrrrrrr…… He used up so many players early that they simply “ran out of gas” when it was really needed. Then again…. there were some very damaging injuries to the team late in the year, with Kersh and Muncy going down, especially. Yes, it most certainly is going to be a VERY interesting offseason! #GODODGERS
Good post Russ….Agreed……….
He just reject A QO of over 18 million.
Why would he sign for less?
And Why pay more for someone who strikes out nearly 33% of the time.
You don’t pay that kind money for some who strikes out a lot unless he can also hit 40 or 50 homeruns a season and get you a hundred RBIs.
Yeah, it nice he can play a number of defensive positions well, but for 20 million a year, don’t you need more?
Andre Ethier said it best, “They cannot let him walk.”