Recently released Dodgers veteran could shockingly end up with rival Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated their two longest-tenured players for assignment recently. One of them could end up joining the San Diego Padres.

Chris Taylor has been with the Dodgers since 2016. In that span, he has started 789 games for the team, playing many positions and making many memorable plays. However, after his release, other teams could view him as an intriguing utility addition. The Athletic's Dennis Lin noted that the Padres could be a fit for him.

Taylor's numbers this year are not great. He is hitting just .200. However, that is still better than what Jayson Heyward has given the team from left field this year. In 33 games, Heyward has hit .176 with two home runs. Taylor would provide some positional flexibility and perhaps a spark.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers released Chris Taylor, making him a hypothetical candidate to address the Padres’ left-field woes, but the 34-year-old’s underlying numbers are even worse than Heyward’s," wrote Lin.

Taylor is virtually a risk-free addition, even if the advanced metrics say he is worse than Heyward. Perhaps a change of scenery and motivation to shine in a new city could do him some good. Not to mention, playing for the rival of the team that released him could provide an extra jolt.

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Losing Taylor was already a tough move considering how long he had been with the team. However, seeing him sign with the Padres would quickly make fans forget about all of the clutch plays he has made for the Dodgers in the past.

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