The Los Angeles Dodgers watched a few of their notable free agents latch on with new MLB teams early in the offseason, most notably Max Scherzer's three-year mega-deal with the New York Mets.
LA had yet to make a big splash on the open market, but managed to get a key deal done on Wednesday ahead of the impending MLB lockout. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Dodgers are finalizing a deal with star utilityman Chris Taylor.
Taylor rejected the Dodgers' qualifying offer in order to become a free agent and land a long-term deal. It seems that move will have paid off for him, though it's yet to be revealed what the finances on the contract look like. The qualifying offer from the Dodgers would have paid Taylor $18.9 million in 2021, delaying his free agency by a year.
Taylor has become a fan-favorite in Los Angeles, where he's played since 2016. He was acquired by the Dodgers in a trade with the Seattle Mariners midway through the 2016 campaign. The 31-year-old made his first-ever All-Star appearance in 2021 after slashing .254/.344/.438 with 20 home runs, 73 RBI, and 92 runs across 148 games. The University of Virginia product was a fifth-round draft pick by the Mariners in 2012.
Re-signing Taylor was undoubtedly one of the Dodgers' priorities this offseason, and in getting the deal done before the lockdown occurs, they will enable themselves to focus on other targets when transactions are able to resume. With their sights set on another World Series, the Dodgers were successfully able to bring Taylor back to the club, in what should be considered a pivotal move for the franchise.
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