Chris Taylor Released By Dodgers, Won 2 World Series Titles, NLCS MVP with Franchise

The Los Angeles Dodgers have released longtime utility man Chris Taylor, ending his 10-season tenure with the team, the franchise announced Sunday.

The 34-year-old has struggled mightily at the plate in 2025, so his exit doesn't come as a shock. Through 28 games, he has the same batting average and on-base percentage (.200), and he's slugging just .257.

Taylor also finished with an OPS+ below the league average in two of the last three seasons, per Baseball Reference. His performance has been trending in the wrong direction for a while.

At his peak, Taylor was one of the biggest symbols for the Dodgers' player development.

The Seattle Mariners jettisoned the Virginia native midway through the 2016 season in what general manager Jerry Dipoto called "clearly the worst deal I've ever made." By 2017, Taylor was a 4.5 WAR player and a critical contributor in the playoffs for L.A. He was the co-NLCS MVP that year after slugging .789 in five games against the Chicago Cubs.

His October heroics didn't stop there. He hit a walk-off homer in the 2021 National League Wild Card Game.

For all of the money at their disposal, the Dodgers still have the same number of roster spots as everyone else in MLB. With multiple injuries already putting their depth to the test, it became harder and harder to keep Taylor when he's hitting this poorly.

With Austin Barnes, another long tenured veteran in Los Angeles, getting DFA'd earlier this week, fans were probably counting down Taylor's days with the organization.

It's doubtful another team picks him up off waivers when he has a $13 million salary for 2025. Once he becomes a free agent, his experience and defensive versatility might earn him at least one more shot elsewhere.