Much ink has already been spilled, or pixels illuminated, about the upcoming offseason and the superclass of shortstops. Even though the Mets extended Francisco Lindor and took one of the most intriguing names out of the pool, it’s still going to feature such marquee names as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez and Marcus Semien. But there’s one name that’s also on the list that is sometimes overlooked. If you’ve read the headline to this piece, then you already know I’m talking about Chris Taylor.
Perhaps the reason Taylor doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of that group is that he’s not exactly an everyday shortstop like the rest of them. (Semien has been playing mostly second base this year, but only because of the presence of Bo Bichette next to him. He could very easily return to shortstop duty with a new club next season.) Taylor is more of a utility guy who is capable of playing some shortstop, if needed. He’s appeared at the position in each of the past eight seasons, but never more than 81 games. Also, he reached that number back in 2018. In 2019, that number dropped to 39. In the shortened 2020 season, it was 20 games, exactly one third of the 60-game reduced schedule. This year, it’s only been 22 games so far. The fact that he’s not considered an everyday option is at least somewhat borne out by statistics. To give one example, of the 46 players to log at least 1000 innings at shortstop over the past five years, Taylor’s UZR/150 of -7.5 ranks 43rd, in the vicinity of guys who don’t play at short much anymore, such as Aledmys Diaz and Manny Machado.
Still, even though he’s not an everyday option, he has versatility, which is something teams love. Taylor has also played second base, third base and all three outfield positions this year, meaning that he could conceivably be plugged into the lineup of any team in the league and move around to their area of greatest need. That could potentially give him tremendous leverage in free agency this winter, just as it did for Ben Zobrist six years ago. Zobrist was able to use that vast market to net himself a four-year, $56MM contract with the Cubs in December of 2015. Could Chris Taylor get something like that? Well, let’s compare.
For starters, Taylor will have a distinct advantage over Zobrist in one category: age. Zobrist was set to turn 35 in May of 2016, shortly after making his Cubs debut. Taylor just turned 31 two weeks ago. Taylor will be 3 1/2 years younger while on the market this winter than Zobrist was back in 2015, meaning a team could potentially be willing to put an even longer contract in front of Taylor.
Secondly, in terms of defense, although Zobrist had shortstop experience, he didn’t play there in 2015. Then he only logged 15 innings at shortstop over the course of his time with the Cubs. Clearly, the club wasn’t expecting him to provide significant time there. Nor was he an option in center field. His last action there was seven games for the Rays in 2014. Taylor, on the other hand, has played 56 games in center this season and 181 over the past five years. Although much was made of Zobrist’s versatility, he was primarily a second baseman and corner outfielder by the time he signed with the Cubs. Due to Taylor’s ability to play almost everywhere, including premium positions like shortstop and center field, he brings more versatility to the table than Zobrist did at that time.
That’s age and defense, but what about the bat? Since becoming an everyday player in 2017, Taylor has played in 610 games and logged 2,349 plate appearances over those five seasons. His line in that time is .266/.344/.464, which amounts to a wRC+ of 118. In the five years leading up to Zobrist’s contract, he played 742 games and logged 3,229 plate appearances, with a line of .272/.359/.437, wRC+ of 124. Zobrist has the higher batting average but Taylor has more power and ends up with fairly similar production overall.
That’s being a bit unfair to Zobrist because it leaves out his monster 2009 season wherein he hit .297/.405/.543 for a wRC+ of 152 and produced 8.7 fWAR. However, that was a distant memory by the time the Cubs signed Zobrist heading into the 2016 season. You don’t sign a player who’s about to turn 35 based on what he did when he was 28. However, by the same token, one could argue that we shouldn’t be including Taylor’s excellent 2017 season because he was 26 then but is 31 now. If we shrink the sample down to the three years before free agency, Zobrist’s line is .274/.356/413, wRC+ of 117, whereas Taylor’s line is .262/.345/.459, wRC+ of 117.
Okay, so, Taylor is like a younger and more versatile version of 2015-2016 Zobrist, and very similar with the bat. One major unknown at the moment, though, is what kind of momentum he will bring into the offseason. One thing I’ve failed to mention thus far is that Zobrist entered free agency on the heels of an excellent playoff performance, having just helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series. In that postseason, Zobrist played in 16 games, garnering 75 plate appearances, producing a line of .303/.365/.515, wRC+ of 133.
Taylor is in the opposite position right now, slumping terribly over the past month. Since August 13th, he’s hitting .136/.217/.272, wRC+ of 34. It seems this slide could at least be somewhat chalked up to a neck injury that has kept Taylor out of action for almost a week now. But the Dodgers haven’t placed him on the injured list, which suggests they don’t think it’s terribly serious. Teams are surely able to overlook a small, injury-caused slump amidst a solid five-year run of success. Though it would certainly help Taylor’s earning power if he could prove that’s all it is by getting back to being healthy and productive. The window for him to do that is getting narrow, however, since there’s just over two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Dodgers have already clinched a playoff berth of some kind, but they’re 1 1/2 games behind the Giants in the race for the NL West crown, meaning they’re guaranteed only one postseason game.
Another wrinkle is the qualifying offer. Zobrist was traded mid-season in 2015, making him ineligible for it. Taylor, on the other hand, will most likely receive one, assuming his long-term health outlook is okay. That means that any team signing him would have to forfeit their second-highest draft pick, or third-highest, if they are a revenue-sharing recipient. That would certainly dampen his market somewhat.
Taking all of that into account, where does that leave us? Zobrist got four years, $56MM, which is an average annual value of $14MM. Taylor will be more versatile and almost as good at the plate. Bake in a few years of inflation and Taylor could aim for a few extra million per year. Because of his age, and assuming no lingering questions about his health, maybe he gets five years instead of four. So, does some team go to five years, $80MM? That certainly feels high, especially given that DJ LeMahieu just got $90MM from the Yankees before this season. (LeMahieu is also older and less versatile than Taylor but was coming off a tremendous two-year stretch at the plate.)
Perhaps the qualifying offer knocks that down some and Taylor actually can’t quite get to Zobrist levels. Maybe this is a bit too optimistic in Taylor’s favor. Still, despite his recent slump, Taylor’s wRC+ is currently sitting at 118 for the season. Baez is at 121. Trevor Story is at 99. Taylor might not be as much of a household name as those two, but his earning power might be closer to them than you think.
I can see Taylor going back to the M’s.
I agree. The Mariners certainly have the financial flexibility to sign him and given his versatility he could be plugged into nearly any position they need. I hope they bring him back.
Ha! The Dodgers aren’t letting this guy leave. Whatever some other team offers, the Dodgers will top – Taylor is too valuable to their team.
I’ve actually seen a decent amount of Dodgers fans be fed up with Taylor in the 2nd half. It seems like Seager is supposed to be a “lock” to leave L.A. because of his durability issues but when he’s doing well he elevates the Dodgers to a different level, maybe they should consider keeping him.
Baseball curious who these “decent amount of Dodgers’ fans” are. Seager is very good hitter but lacks range, quickness, and an accurate arm. If they get a home town discount, maybe. We’ll see. The long range plan was that Lux was going to replace him. That is really questionable since Lux has hit very poorly.
Probably the same “fans” that booed Kenley Jansen this year. Ignore them. I’m a Dodgers fan, but 90% of our fan base is jaded and clueless.
We’ll see if you feel the same when Jansen starts blowing games in the playoffs, per usual.
Or a decent *number* of Dodger fans which seems like 1600 made that up all by themselves. Taylor was close to LAD’s best hitter in June and July.
If he can return with good production, I suspect Friedman will more likely resign Taylor over Seager.
I think the plan is for Seager to take over for JT. I hope they keep him and slide him over to 3B once JT calls it a career. In the meantime I like that they’ve started to make Lux more versatile by playing him some in the OF. Trea could stay at 2B until this all happens then take over at SS. As far as CT3 goes, he’s very valuable due to his versatility but I wouldn’t break the bank to re-sign him.
What has added to the value of super utility players like K. Hernandez and Taylor were that they were ridiculously cheap. Less so for Taylor this year but he begins to lose value if you have to pay him $15mm plus per season. That’s why Hernandez left and maybe same for Taylor You simply can’t afford to keep paying super utility players that much. I find it interesting that the Dodgers are grooming Lux in the outfield. Could it be that he fills Taylor’s role next season. He hasn’t really hit well but there is path for him next season. Problem is that this season the Dodgers haven’t really found a younger reliable super bench player like they have in the past. Lux could be it in 2022. McKinstry has been a disappointment. Raley, Reks, Neuse failures. McKinstry maybe gets one final shot next season. This helps Taylor’s case but I doubt the Dodgers want to spend this much on bench players, even if they are very good players.
Players don’t lose value because you pay them what the market says they are worth. But I agree with you on Lux, it seems they are hoping he can be the next Taylor. Seems like a long shot to me but seeing as Lux is otherwise blocked it make some sense to try. Not so much during a pennant race but they didn’t have a lot of better options. Your lament about McKinstry only goes to show that it would have been worth paying Hernandez. They were looking for a cheaper version of him but that turns out to be a lot easier said than done.
Losing value in the sense a player’s value is relative to the salary you pay them, as no team has infinite amount of money. These players were even more valuable because of the low salary paid to them. No, not even the Dodgers have an infinite amount of money.. So by definition they are less valuable. Friedman is operating a big market team but still has roots from a smaller market team. He appreciates the worth of a player. If money was no object I’m pretty sure that Hernandez and Joc are still Dodgers. They obviously commanded more money. Same goes for Taylor. I don’t think the Dodgers want to give him more than $10-11 million per season, especially in a longer-term contract. I’m willing to think that there is a team out there willing to do that, so the Dodgers may lose him. Now, the Dodgers may give him a qualifying offer and that would complicate things a bit. We’ll see.
Wow, you really hate Seager. His defense has improved this season. He’s never going to be a gold glover but still average to solid, and doesn’t need to with his bat. His power numbers are down this year but he should be a very solid $0.850-0.875 type of OPS over the long run. Some years better some years less. Lux doesn’t seem to be the solution at SS. Trea Turner obviously can easily slot in as the starting SS in 2022, but does he want to be a Dodger longer-term? Dodgers may have to pay him more than Seager if he has a lights out 2022.
I’m not buying that definition of value, but no matter, we seem to be talking different concepts. Anyway, since these teams are businesses designed to turn a profit, money is never no object. Some other team may well outbid the Dodgers for Taylor but that won’t make him any easier to replace on the roster. FWIW I don’t think Pederson was ever staying with the Dodgers. He’s been the odd man out for several years now, at least since they decided he wasn’t CF material, and they did try to trade him, after all.
Fair enough but Pederson was a career 0.850 OPS against RHP heading into this season. Pederson hasn’t really been a CF for years now. COVID weight gain sure didn’t help him. I think the Dodgers would have found a way to keep him if the ask was much lower than the $7-7.5 mm he got from the Cubs. But that goes to my point with Friedman. He doesn’t like shelling money on the bull[pen or bench. Even a productive platoon player like Joc Pederson or super utility like K Hernandez. It’s not a good indicator for Taylor, even though he’s a super utility guy. He’d rather find the next Taylor, K Hernandez or Joc that is much cheaper. Failed to find one this season but won’t prevent him from trying again. It’s always about relative value with Friedman.
Fair enough but Pederson was a career 0.850 OPS against RHP heading into this season. Pederson hasn’t really been a CF for years now. COVID weight gain sure didn’t help him. I think the Dodgers would have found a way to keep him if the ask was much lower than the $7-7.5 mm he got from the Cubs. But that goes to my point with Friedman. He doesn’t like shelling money on the bull[pen or bench. Even a productive platoon player like Joc Pederson or super utility like K Hernandez. It’s not a good indicator for Taylor, even though he’s a super utility guy. He’d rather find the next Taylor, K Hernandez or Joc that is much cheaper. Failed to find one this season but won’t prevent him from trying again. It’s always about relative value with Friedman.
Pederson has played a surprising amount of CF since he was traded to the Braves just not very well. He’s like the polar opposite of Taylor, a total platoon player with little versatility and grotesque splits. Players like Taylor and Hernandez don’t grow on trees. Friedman might have a problem shelling out to keep them on the roster but letting them walk without a replacement plan is dangerous. Even with Taylor’s recent slump try to imagine where the defensive alignments would be this year without him, and that’s pretty much where the team is next year if they don’t pay him market value.
He barely played CF with the Cubs. Atlanta is not very smart to play Joc at CF so much. Are they blind? He hasn’t been slim enough to play CF in a while. I understand the value of Hernandez and Taylor but it doesn’t work as well if you have to pay them closer to starting player type of salaries. It’s a similar principle to paying a reliever/closer too much. From a roster construction standpoint it’s not optimal. You’d rather pay players in your starting 8 positions and top 4 starting pitchers that kind of money. I can see Friedman more willing to sign Taylor given the failure to find a super utility replacement so far, as long as it doesn’t break the bank. I’m sure Friedman is confident though that he can find the next super utility guy, internally or externally. Lux has an inside track to that given that he’s cheap and still has upside. McKinstry gets a chance too. They would prefer a right-handed super utility though to match either McKinstry or Lux.
Players do get a lot less valuable if you pay them more money. It’s actually a simple concept. If over half the league is unwilling to pay the player that money and he struggles later on in the contract then he’s untradable thus less valuable.
Taylor is loved and is a clutch performer
My only concern is that some dumb poorly managed team ie Mariners will offer him some crazy deal like 3 years $80 mil etc. to throw off the Dodgers since they have other high contracts to offer other free agents. It will ruin their pay structure which focuses on flexibility. I wish they would have addressed Taylor’s contract status earlier this season so they could focus on higher priced potential free agents.
This isn’t the FO of the past. They have a new owner and many new FO people. To say they are a poorly run org is just lazy or uneducated.
Even though they have the money they have Dylan Moore. He might not have the BA that Taylor has but can play multiple positions and is a good fit. I would be shocked if they over pay for a SU player when they need BP help and a SP as well as someone at 2nd.
That dumb poorly managed team is still in playoff contention, during a rebuild season… And that same dumb poorly managed team, in 3 years time, has transitioned their farm system from dead last in the mlb in 2018, to arguably the best in all of baseball, certainly top 3. They’ve shedded any major albatross contracts ie Cano, and Hernandez and haven’t added any new ones. They have built one of the strongest bullpens in baseball consisting of cast-offs and no names. Props to their horrible scouting department. They’ve positioned themselves nicely to spend money this offseason and alot of talent coming through the pipeline in the coming years. They suck.
The Mariners wouldn’t pay that. He would be a great fit but that would be wasted money at that price.
They would obviously take Taylor over Moore but there’s a reasonable price.
Yeah no!
I f you’re comparing these two, then it would help Taylor to have a strong postseason performance. Yes he’s younger and their stats are similar but Zobrist won back to back World Series MVPs in ’15 and ’16. That carries some serious weight.
Ehhhhhhhhhhhh, wrong answer- Sal Perez won MVP in 2015. Is there any chance Taylor sits out almost a whole year if he goes through a divorce like Zobrist did? Never seen anything like that in professional sports before.
Zobrist was also 38 and in the last year of his contract and at the end of his playing career. Its not exactly like he was in his prime in the middle of a big money deal
A strong postseason would help given his recent injury and slump. As stacked as the Dodgers are, there is a small but real chance they get bounced in a one game playoff and he doesn’t get the opportunity.
Much to my chagrin, I see the Dodgers winning the West again. As for Taylor, he’s the best utility man in the game, IMO. How that translates into $ is a good question. Maybe 4 years at 12 million. Just a guess.
4/40 million wouldn’t be something that handcuffed us financially in the future. I just hope that we re-sign Seager and if CT3 gets pricy I hope he’s the one we let walk at the end of the day in order to pay Seager.
I have always thought Seaver was overrated. I see Turner at SS, and Lux gets a full time shot at 2nd base. Taylor will move into that if Lux bombs out. With JT and Muncey at first the Dodgers have a strong infield. Bellinger is the big question mark next year. Otherwise the Dodgers are set. Relief pitching is always questionable on any team.
Whoa, is Tom Terrific coming out of retirement? It’s going to be a tough comeback!
Reincarnation?
Typo? Are you bored?
The Cubs would actually be a good landing spot for him, even at the cost of a 2nd round pick. In 2022 he could play OF against lefties (get Heyward out of the lineup) and MI and occasionally LF or 3B against righties. Then going forward he would give them flexibility and playoff experience as they bring rookies up and make FA acquisitions.
Yeah no!
Fans still haven’t figured out how rebuilds work
Zobrist also switch hit
Yeah, I can not believe that point wasn’t brought up.
I have another comp for you-Kike Hernandez. His bWAR/year for his last 3 years was 2.2, and his WAR/650 was 4.0. Taylor’s bWAR/year for his last 3 years was 2.2, and his WAR/650 was 3.6. Taylor has more innings at SS, but his RF/9 is 3.92 while Kike has a 3.77, but Kike’s fielding % is better by .976 v .960. And Kike is younger.
Those are two pretty similar players. And while Kike was a steal, he still only got $14M/2.
Good comp. I don’t think the Dodgers go to $15mm plus but they likely have to pay more than $7mm per season. The bat always gets more rewarded than the glove. Probably at least $10-12mm, which is bit steep and not sure the Dodgers want to go there. Depends on which other teams will be bidding but I’d think that there would be plenty of bidders, which could mean that he’s done as a Dodger.
If the Jays don’t pay Semien man idk…
Dynamite drop-in, Monte. That broadcast school has really paid off.
What?
I’m almost 30 and I had to Google your reference. Whatever man
What baseball fan didn’t know what that was from!?! Had to Google it? 30 is no excuse little guy. Every baseball fan should be able to quote Major League. Period.
And that isn’t even slightly arbitrary?
Oh man I’m so sorry I didn’t get your reference guys I must be a terrible baseball fan and by extension an awful person. I’ve obviously seen major league lmao. I’m so sorry I can’t quote it verbatim
I watched the movie one time years ago and that’s all I needed, I thought it was kinda lame. I don’t know why guys my dad’s age absolutely love it
I’m absolutely positive none of you understand my username but I’m not chastising you guys for it smh
Semien is somehow underrated and he should be a solid signing for whichever team can snag him. I’d love the Mets to go after him, but they are likely going to go hard after Bryant and then they have larger needs. Great player, love his game.
I shudder to think what the Mets would have to pay Bryant to come there. Why not sign with the Giants or go back to Chicago? Both seem like infinitely better ideas
Most likely Taylor stays with Dodgers and they let Seager go
Good article. I love these versatile players and as a White Sox fan I’ll throw in Garcia’s name. He doesn’t have as good of a bat but his glove work is sterling.
I really hope he leaves the Dodgers, being that I’m a Giants fan. He’s a pretty good player and not that he kills the Giants all the time but he makes an impact for sure. I’d be happy if he came to SF, and it seems like someone Zaidi & Co would be interested in with his versatility. I saw Mariners above and that also seems possible
Yeah no never . Giants
Yea no way a former Dodger gm would be interested in former dodgers
Oh yeah Alex wood is your 3rd starter. Never mind..
Other than starting pitching help, Taylor is the player I want the Yankees to sign the most. He can plug in wherever someone is injured and we usually have lots of injuries to our position players
Yeah no!
Difference being Zobrist was a switch hitter and didn’t strike out nearly as much as Taylor does.
Taylor probably has more value to the Dodgers than to anyone else. He knows their way of doing things and they know the best way to use him effectively. If he leaves i wonder if he will be more Marwin Gonzalez than Ben Zobrist
Strike outs? You didn’t get the memo? Strike outs don’t matter. It’s all about OPS, getting on base and mashing. Taylor has the superior bat and I think that will command quite a bit of dollars. He’s not great at any position but can play six positions at a very decent level.
If you think strike outs don’t matter, you’re an in-the-box thinker and follow the crowd. That’s yesterday’s valuation. Forward thinking teams look at teams like the Yankees and see their problem as being K/$ ratio.
Let’s take this year’s stats. For the top 10 run producing MLB teams, 9 of the 10 teams are in the top 10 in OPS. Only top 10 run producing team not in top 10 OPS is 10th top run producing team, Milwaukee Brewers. Strikeouts is random, some teams at the bottom of strikeouts (least strikeouts) and some teams towards the top (most strikeouts). In fact, 7 of the top 10 run producing teams are in the upper half of most strikeouts (Top 15), including top run producing team (TB Rays) who is second in strikeouts. So, all this seems to point to OPS matters a lot and strikeouts not as much.
No Chris Taylor does not have a superior bat & he’s more of a liability at the plate because of his strikeouts & yes strikeouts do matter especially when the team is fighting to win their division & the 3 playoff series they would need to win if they want to remain World Champions
Yes, he does. Go look at Hernandez’s numbers in LA. League average OPS+ is 100. He had an above league average bat… two years, of six. Taylor also has 50% more WAR at the time of their FA, 10 for KH, 15.5 for Taylor
Missed my edit window, but Taylor averages a bat of 117 OPS+ in his last 3 years. Kh never had that consistency
@ George Ruth. If strikeouts matter so much, please comment on why 9 of 10 top run scoring teams in 2021 are in the top 10 in OPS? Is it just a coincidence? What drives run production, lack of striking out or OPS (getting on base and slugging)? Only two of the top 10 run scoring teams are in the bottom 10 of strikeouts (least strikeouts), and four of the top 10 run scoring teams are in the top 10 in striking out.
In 2020, 8 of the top 10 run producing teams were top 10 in OPS. In 2019, all 10 of the top 10 run producing teams were in the top 10 in OPS. It’s all about OPS. I think it’s clear from the data that OPS matters a lot more than not striking out.
Why is Trevor Story considered such a commodity? His home/road splits are terrible. Is his defense that great that it overshadows his inflated hitting stats at Coors Field?
There’s a belief that a good portion the splits are a product of playing half the season in Denver and not be able to turn a switch and adjust the swing on the road rather than just having Coors-inflated numbers at home. This is probably true of some hitters–Arenado looks okay with the Cards–but which ones?
Wouldn’t the inverse be correct then? That when he came back to Coors from a road trip, his bat wouldn’t be able to adjust back once it adjusted itself to being on the road? Idk, I’m just thinking out loud.
Players have trouble hitting junk away from Coors because movement is more extreme.
I’m not saying Story is that way, but we’ve seen it before.
Yup. If it was as simple as say, 300 foot fences, then the hitting would get affected by the same amount as the pitching. But the pitching is only penalized by 85-90 points. The hitting differential is about twice that. And since the theory that batters are penalized by having to adjust makes some sense, then I would expect the real difference to be about 100 points in OPS.
It’s simple. You play 2 weeks at Coors, curveballs break 6 inches or less. Then you leave coors, and now they break 11 inches or less. Now do the same with every offspeed pitch
so you go on a road trip, and see the breaking balls breaking 40% more. It’s a 2 week trip. You struggle, but start to get your bearing on the pitches again at sea level last series or so. Oop back to Coors for another 10 days. Now you’re used to sea-level break, and the breaking ball spins 30% less than last week.. it’s a vicious cycle
In the same way coors inflates numbers while there, it destroys hitters numbers on the road
Wow, that was a long article about Chris Taylor.?
Seager or Taylor?
I’m thinking that LA let’s one walk.
AJ Pollock opting out and Bellinger/Lux struggles might change Friedman’s mind though.
Pollock would have to get either 1450 plate appearances 2019-2021, or 1000 plate appearances in ’20 and ’21 combined. Not going to happen so his option wont vest.
He is about 45 plate appearances away, but he hurt himself.. 2020 AB is prorated
@BeforeMcCourt My bad, forgot the prorated 2020
AJ Pollock doesn’t have an opt out until after the 2022 season & he becomes a UFA after the 23 season
Yes, he does. The question is did his stupid steal of 3B cost him the 5M buyout
Bref contracts are incomplete when options are complex. His buyout triggers with a certain number of PA’s, and with 2020 prorated 2.7x, he was less than 50 PA away
Even if he vested, do you think the market for a 34 year old often injured OF would exceed the $20M the Dodgers are locked in for? IDK, seems like he might be able to get an extra year maybe. But I cant see a team going more than 3 years unless the yearly value was much lower.
I know technically it wasn’t a trade. It was kinda like a sign and trade. Starlin Castro to the Yankees to free money for Zobrist. It was one of the best acquisitions in cubs history
Taylor has always been a streaky hitter, so judge his offensive output over the body of his work, not a month, and his defensive value not for his ability to play SS but his ability to play everywhere but P and C. As for what he gets in free agency, the very fact that it seems highly likely he will receive a QO should provide a pretty good benchmark. More years mean a lower AAV, but not by a lot.
If the Giants can’t resign Bryant in the offseason, I wonder if they’d look at Taylor. I don’t know that they want to pay a big ask for a utility guy, given that they’ve been able to fill in a lot of gaps with cheaper options, like Tommy LaStella and Donovan Solono. But coming out of this season, there won’t be any shortage of money. And the Giants have shown how depth and versatility can be used to create a pretty formidable team.
The big difference between Zobrist & Taylor is strikeouts & Chris Taylor is one of the top Strikeout artists in the National League every season & any contract he gets should include a clause requiring him to cut down on the strikeouts.
Taylor swings for the fences on every single swing & is currently ranked #2 in the league in strikeouts, Chris Taylor has played in 730 games in his MLB Career & has 732 Strikeouts & with just his time with the Dodgers he’s played 744 games & has 760 Strikeouts which makes him a liability at the plate
Please learn how gms value players in 2021. Of course less I’d are better but they don’t mind if you have the ops Taylor has.
I’d be really surprised if the Dodgers let Taylor get away. His versatility is the prototype of what Friedman would like the whole lineup to be. I fully expect a 5 year deal for CT3 to keep him as an integral piece of the lineup.
More Important for the Dodgers to work harder on keeping Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw & Max Scherzer all 3 are also UFA’S & Taylor won’t get a 5 yr deal since he is 30 & because of his strikeouts
I think if you mention his strikeouts in one more comment some type of boogie man monster is going to pop out.
Shhhh… Miguel Rojas is a free agent also. Don’t let anyone know.
2.9 WAR
Your secret is safe with me.
BTW he has a team option for next year, which the Marlins are sure to exercise.
If semian doesn’t return to Toronto i can see Taylor as a alternative for them.
Jays will need 3B and 2B next year. Not a utility player that plays mostly OF. And the Jays are full their too next year. Pass.
And that player needs to be LH.
Taylor would be a great signing for any team but hope Fish pick him up along with Castellano.
Doubt it’ll happen.
Excellent article
Man. They even have a stat now for ‘guys who don’t play at short much anymore’? Sweet, I guess
Early in the season I’d have have guessed Taylor to CIN for something like 4/$68MM, where he’d be their starting SS.
Now that LAD’s OF depth has been proven poor and their best OF prospects are still in A-ball, I’d guess a similar contract but instead of CIN he returns to LAD.
In short, Taylor will be resigned by DEEP pockets LAD. end of story.