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The Dodgers had a number of free agents this offseason. Losing names like Max Scherzer and Corey Seager were brutal hits, but losing Chris Taylor would have turned this offseason upside down for the Dodgers.
Luckily, they were able to work out a deal with the All-Star before the lockout deadline.
On Dec. 1, Taylor agreed to a four-year contract worth $60 million to return to LA. He secured the deal right in time, as Major League Baseball shut down later that night.
Since there’s been no baseball activity, we didn’t get to really hear from Taylor about his decision to return to LA and what went into it. He recently spoke with AM 570 about his decision to return to the Dodgers.
I always knew I wanted to stay with the Dodgers. It was just a matter of if they were willing to work with me or be competitive, I guess. It was hard to see myself in anything but Dodger blue. It meant a lot to me that they were willing to give the offer they did. I was really happy we were able to do something before the lockout.
After Taylor signed, Ken Rosenthal reported that money wasn’t a driving factor for Taylor and that he wanted to return to Los Angeles. For the most part, it sounded like if the Dodgers just offered Taylor a respectable deal, he wanted to return.
I’m glad the Dodgers saw the value with him and didn’t try and get cheap.
You can listen to the full interview here.
Links
- ICYMI: Dodger Stadium wedding shows progress team has made in LGBTQ community, writes Bill Plaschke of The LA Times
- Jim Bowden at The Athletic ranks the top 25 remaining free agents, with the Dodgers attached to a few names