Dodgers cut veteran Chris Taylor in final season of utility man's four-year, $60 million contract

Taylor was released to make room for Tommy Edman

The Los Angeles Dodgers have released veteran utility player Chris Taylor, the team announced Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers activated fellow utility player Tommy Edman from the injured list.

Taylor, 34, is in the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $60 million contract. (Said contract includes a club option for next season with a $4 million buyout. The Dodgers will remain on the hook for that money.) Although he was coming off an All-Star campaign when he signed that pact -- he had contributed consecutive four-win efforts earlier in his Dodgers career, too -- his effectiveness declined almost immediately. He posted an 89 OPS+ in 2022, and has managed just a 66 mark dating back to Opening Day 2024, putting him on the wrong side of the theoretical replacement-level line.

The Dodgers originally obtained Taylor in a 2016 trade with the Seattle Mariners that sent pitcher Zach Lee to the Pacific Northwest. Whereas Taylor enjoyed a successful nine-year run in Los Angeles, Lee never appeared in the majors with the Mariners and hasn't pitched professionally since 2022.

Taylor is the second notable Dodgers veteran to be shown the door this week, joining longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes. Taylor and Barnes had been the longest-tenured Dodgers on the active roster outside of left-hander Clayton Kershaw. That distinction now falls on infielder Max Muncy, who has been on the Dodgers' big-league roster since 2018.

"This has been a very emotional week for all of us," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters Sunday. "Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we're at at this point."

The Dodgers entered Sunday with a 29-17 record, putting them in first place in the National League West. Los Angeles has a one-game lead over the San Diego Padres. Nevertheless, the Dodgers clearly aren't taking that lead for granted -- even if it means bidding farewell to some familiar faces along the way.