Dodgers: Chris Taylor rumors connecting him to worst non-Giants team

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 21: Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waves as he leaves the field after a three homerun night to lead the Dodgers 11-2 over the Atlanta Braves during game five of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 21, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 21: Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waves as he leaves the field after a three homerun night to lead the Dodgers 11-2 over the Atlanta Braves during game five of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 21, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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See, this is why the Dodgers maybe should’ve extended Chris Taylor during his All-Star, “Glue Guy” first half. Reasons like this.

This particular MLB hot stove season seems poised to last longer than ever, as any move that doesn’t get done before the Dec. 1 lockout could get stuck in purgatory until Spring Training.

Then again, most MLB players would probably prefer to be settled long before then. It might bring comfort during intense labor negotiations to know exactly where your next home will be, at the very least.

And so, that leaves us in between two worlds. Expect a flurry of rumors and potentially a torrential downpour of signings just after Thanksgiving, and then … nothing.

Chris Taylor seems like a perfect mid-tier option who’ll sign before the chaos really ensues, meaning Dodgers fans should keep a keen eye on the places he’s connected in the coming days.

With that in mind, we bring you this infuriating tidbit: Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox are hot on Taylor’s trail.

The Boston Red Sox want to take Chris Taylor from the Dodgers.

Outside of the Giants, is there a more infuriating spot he could land?

The Red Sox have a fairly stacked outfield (Hunter Renfroe, Alex Verdugo, and a fellow named Kiké Hernández), so they’d probably be targeting Taylor as a hybrid second baseman, a position they seem quite serious about upgrading this offseason. We’ve heard everything from Javier Báez to Carlos Correa (for short, while Xander Bogaerts moves to second), but Taylor probably seems like a more realistic target.

Split center with Kiké, split second with Christian Arroyo, still play 130-140 games per year and make $18 million annually? Who wouldn’t want that?

Well, now it’s on the Dodgers to make sure he doesn’t want that. Didn’t they notice what happened when Hernández fled to the friendly confines of Fenway Park last year? He went supernova, particularly in the postseason.

Andrew Friedman should authorize a lengthy contract for Taylor because of how intrinsic he is to the fabric of the Dodgers … but also, less crucially, because of how painful it would be to watch Boston fall in love with him.