Days after controversially cutting catcher Austin Barnes, the Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to part with another popular player in Chris Taylor.
Taylor, 34, was in the final year of a four-year, $60million deal but is now looking for a new team after eight years in Los Angeles.
But while a popular player both on the roster and among the Dodgers fanbase, Taylor was struggling to recapture the form that saw him land his latest contract. He had only managed 35 plate appearances for the World Series champions in 2025.
It comes days after Barnes’ abrupt exit, which Clayton Kershaw admitted was a move that he didn’t completely agree with.
‘I think everybody was surprised,’ he told LA Times, after Barnes was DFA’d to make room for catching prospect Dalton Rushing. ‘It’s sad.
‘Barnesy’s one of my best friends on or off the field… it’s sad to see someone like that go who’s been here that long, and I think we all kind of feel it.
Chris Taylor has been cut by the Los Angeles Dodgers after eight years with the team
Catcher Austin Barnes was also controversially cut by the Dodgers earlier in the week
‘You won’t find a guy that competes better than Austin Barnes. He wants to win more than anybody, and he always found a way, and he came up with some big moments for us throughout the years.
‘I think a lot of people forget he was starting a lot of playoff games and winning a lot of games for us, getting big knocks.’
Kershaw insisted there was no ill-feeling aimed at Rushing among the Dodgers team.
He added: ‘It’s no disrespect to Dalton. I know he deserves it, and he’s going to be a great player.
‘It’s just, for me personally, I think a lot of guys on the team, it was disappointing to see him go.’
Both Taylor and Barnes depart the Dodgers with two Word Series wins to their name in 2020 and 2024.
As it stands, the Dodgers are 29-17 going into Sunday afternoon’s game against crosstown rivals Los Angeles Angels.
