The Dodgers have a slew of free agents once the World Series comes to a close.
One of those players is super-utility man Chris Taylor.
Taylor had a monster postseason before the Dodgers were bounced in the NLCS by the Braves, hitting 4 home runs with 12 RBI’s and a .351 average. The 31-year-old is expected to be highly coveted this offseason. One Dodgers blog even said that he would be the most irreplaceable free agent should the Dodgers be unable to retain him.
But let’s assume for a minute that the Dodgers are unable to bring him back. Here are three other teams that should give Taylor a look in free agency.
San Francisco Giants
There have already been some rumors about this. Taylor wasn’t clear about whether or not he wanted to return to the Dodgers, but the Giants are a team that could be in play for him.
The rumors suggest that Taylor would be on the Giants radar if they’re unable to re-sign Kris Bryant. And he’d certainly be much cheaper than Bryant.
It’s one way for them to put a dagger in their rivals’ hearts; plucking away a key player that was a big part of the Dodgers’ success over the past several years. He’d fit right in with San Francisco too. They’re one of those teams that platoons players and starts certain ones depending on the matchups for a game, while also leaving manager Gabe Kapler with plenty of options off the bench.
It’s possible he can become an everyday player there too. He was a key factor for the Dodgers, but like Kike Hernandez before him, there just wasn’t really an opportunity to play every day.
St. Louis Cardinals
This is another team that’s looking to create lineups based on matchups going forward, as recently hired manager Oliver Marmol suggested in his press conference.
They want to become more analytical, so having Taylor as a platoon piece in the infield would allow them to do what Marmol was talking about. He can play second, third, and shortstop.
He could also slot in as your DH, if it’s agreed upon in the next CBA. All expectations are that it’ll be added next year. This would give him a chance to play every day and show off his All-Star potential on a more regular basis.
He also hit the walk-off home run against St. Louis in the Wild Card game. If you can’t beat him, get him!
Boston Red Sox
With Hunter Renfroe and Kyle Schwarber being free agents, Boston could find themselves in the mix for the super-utility man.
He would be able to reunite with former Dodger teammates Kike Hernandez and Alex Verdugo, and probably become an everyday player. You could put him in one of the outfield spots, or you could put him at second.
This could give the Red Sox two super-utility players that you can put in the lineup every day and do so at different spots. It would also give them an All-Star player and ease the burden of losing Schwarber and Renfroe, and potentially even J.D. Martinez, should he opt out of his contract.
