Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Chris Taylor has opened up on being released from the team.
Taylor was traded to the Dodgers in 2016 from the Seattle Mariners, and he spent the next nine years with the ball club. He became a fan favorite as Taylor played all across the diamond and was even a Major League Baseball All-Star in 2021.
However, Taylor struggled in 2025, and he was designated for assignment and elected free agency. Being released from the Dodgers was hard, but he quickly signed on with a new team.
“It was emotional. I’ve been on the Dodgers for nine years, but I do believe it was time, for me. It was my time to kind of start fresh, you know, hopefully turn the page, start a new chapter. I’m excited to do that here,” Taylor said.
In free agency, he quickly signed a one-year prorated MLB minimum with the Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers, meanwhile, still owe him the rest of the $15 million he was set to earn this season.
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Taylor is hitting .184 in 38 at-bats this season, and he knows he needs to be better.
“I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself,” Taylor said. “I haven’t performed to how I feel I’m capable of playing the last couple of seasons. I want to turn that around.”
At his best, Taylor can be an everyday player who will get on base and play solid defensively. But he struggled to do that in 2025, which led to the Dodgers parting ways with him.
Taylor won two World Series with the Dodgers.
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