Chris Taylor being linked to hated rival is a double-edged sword for Dodgers fans

Chris Taylor's DFA is in the Dodgers' rearview mirror, but it's likely that he'll still be looking for a new home, if any takers materialize at all. He could realistically play for any new team for the league minimum, as the Dodgers are still responsible for paying out the $15 million they owe him for the year, but Taylor didn't exactly state a strong case for himself with a .200 batting average in just 35 at-bats this season.

He could always go to a bottomfeeder with nothing to lose. The Rockies, White Sox, Pirates, and so on are all but guaranteed to sell at the trade deadline, and could just need a stopgap to limp through the rest of the season in the aftermath.

However, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tentatively floated Taylor as an option for the Padres, of all teams, whose offense has been floundering as of late. That ineptitude has forced a four-game losing streak during which they've only scored three runs.

The link was tenuous, calling Taylor "a hypothetical candidate to address the Padres' left-field woes," but it still conjures some mixed feelings in Dodgers fans (subscription required). On one hand, the odds of Taylor actually helping to improve San Diego's offense are incredibly low; on the other, watching a guy who spent almost 10 seasons in LA go to their fiercest rival wouldn't be a fun feeling.

Chris Taylor being floated as a Padres addition after DFA creates mixed feelings for Dodgers fans

Lin pointed out that one of the Padres' biggest issues right now is Jason Heyward, who they signed late in the offseason following a brief stint with the Astros after being DFA'ed by the Dodgers in 2024. Dodgers fans could've told the Padres front office that they weren't going to get much out of Heyward, but he's quickly made them see the error of their ways himself, with a .184 average and .517 OPS through 31 games.

Swapping out Heyward for Taylor would be a hilariously misguided move that Dodgers fans would absolutely be able to to clown on the Padres for, but the oft chance Taylor might fix something with the Padres would be too much for fans to take.

It feels highly unlikely that Taylor goes to the Padres, but it's still an interesting thought experiment for Dodgers fans, half of whom would laugh and half of whom would rage if it actually happened.