The Los Angeles Dodgers cut two of the team’s longest-tenured position players in the span of a week.
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The Dodgers designated Austin Barnes for assignment Tuesday night and released Chris Taylor Sunday. Both beloved by the Dodgers fanbase, the veterans leave as two-time World Series champions.
The catcher and utility man each played pivotal roles in helping the organization build a golden era of Dodgers baseball. However, the Dodgers used Barnes and Taylor sparingly this season, and their departures began to seem like a possibility.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman addressed the media Sunday evening, making his first comments on the shocking departure of Barnes and Taylor.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Friedman said. “Barnesy 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 this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult.”
Friedman noted the tight NL West division race as the key reason for the release of Taylor and Barnes, DFA. In the last decade, the Dodgers have only lost the division once.
“The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the competition of the roster, everything,” Friedman said. “We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year. Doesn’t mean that it was easy. But ultimately felt like it was the right thing to do.”
In 2021, the Dodgers lost the division to the San Francisco Giants. While losing the NL West is not the end or be all, it certainly makes the journey through October longer.
It’s evident the Dodgers don’t want to experience any unnecessary fatigue in the postseason, making it imperative that L.A. wins the NL West.
Though the Dodgers currently lead the division, their competition is not far behind. The San Diego Padres are one game behind the defending champions, and the San Francisco Giants are also making an impressive run this season.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers’ intentions are clear. Winning remains the top priority for L.A., even if that means saying goodbye to familiar faces in the clubhouse.
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