Dodgers can't be blamed for horrible service time situation with Chris Taylor's DFA

On Sunday, the Dodgers finally cut bait and released Chris Taylor as Tommy Edman came off of the IL. It was the only thing they could do if they wanted to keep Hyeseong Kim, who's been batting incredibly well since his promotion, and Taylor has been the weakest link on the offensive side of things for over a year now. He was the Dodgers' longest tenured player after Austin Barnes was cut just a few days before, and his release from the team had the likes of the New York Post calling them "ruthless."

A lot of that designation has to do with his service time. Taylor was getting close to reaching a massive benchmark with the Dodgers — 10 years with five consecutive seasons on the same team — which would've given him a no-trade clause and a lifetime pension. His release has completely shot that effort in the foot.

But the fact is that the Dodgers kept Taylor as long as they possibly could've, and longer than they should've.

This team is serious about winning the division, coasting through the postseason, and going for a repeat World Series victory, and keeping Kim by letting go of Taylor only increased their chances of doing so.

Dodgers cut Chris Taylor before he could reach "10-and-5" service time benchmark

There was some speculation that the Dodgers kept Taylor on the roster last year in order to get him to that aforementioned benchmark. They have a history of helping veterans do just that; last year, Nick Ahmed reached a similar milestone during his short stint on the team. If that theory is actually correct, then no one can say that the Dodgers didn't try to give Taylor as much time as possible to try to make corrections and give the team an actual, tangible reason to keep him.

Taylor will always be able to rest on the laurels of being a two-time World Series champion, an All-Star, and an NLCS MVP, but sending Kim back down to keep Taylor, who has hardly played this year and was batting .200, would've been inexcusable.

Is it a little cutthroat? Maybe, but the Dodgers have nothing left to prove in terms of loyalty or obligation to their veterans. The bench was the weakest part of the roster going into this season, and Taylor was a huge contributing factor. It might've been a tough decision all around, but it had to be done.