With the deadline just hours away, the Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly found time to sneak in at least one last deal, re-signing super utility man Chris Taylor on a multi-year pact.
Free-agent superutilityman Chris Taylor and the Dodgers are in agreement, pending a physical, according to a major-league source.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2021
The deal is pending a physical (which, yes, was a concern in terms of timing before tonight’s lockout, but is obviously a little easier to navigate when you’re re-signing a player you already know enough about), and is reportedly for multiple years. Those details aren’t quite out yet.
The deal doesn’t come as much of a surprise, especially after the Dodgers failed to re-sign Corey Seager and still have Trea Turner sitting around, though I do think it’s fair to say this makes them EVEN LESS likely to go after Trevor Story or Carlos Correa, and those two were already pretty unlikely, according to most rumors.
After another really solid season in 2021 (113 wRC+, 3.1 WAR), in which he played right field (69.2 innings), center field (423.0 innings), left field (170 innings), shortstop (153.2 innings), second base (294.0 innings), and third base (81.0 innings), Taylor was a popular free agent target. The Mariners and the Red Sox were two teams I remember being mentioned, but his versatility, experience, and expectedly modest cost made him a fit for just about any contender. Think of him as like a more versatile, lighter-hitting, and slightly older Kris Bryant (or, at least, that’s what Scott Boras wants you to think of Bryant).
The lockout is coming soon, but the league … and maybe the Cubs … are not necessarily done yet:
REPORT: Cubs in "Hot and Heavy Discussion" Right Now with Marcus Stroman – https://t.co/Za6FG1cfgg pic.twitter.com/X2SGr49Hl2
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) December 1, 2021