SF Giants have prime opportunity to poach former Dodgers All-Star utility man

The Los Angeles Dodgers have released utility man Chris Taylor. He was let go at the same time another long-time Dodger was released. Could the Giants swoop in and poach the former All-Star from Los Angeles?

This move by Los Angeles shows that they are not being sentimental in their roster moves. Taylor has been a Dodger since 2017, but he has outlived his usefulness in LA so they cut him loose. His numbers have not been great as he was slashing .200/.200/.257 at the time of his release.

SF Giants could poach long-time Dodger Chris Taylor

Taylor's numbers have been in decline ever since his lone All-Star season in 2021. His best days may be behind him, but would it make any sense for the Giants to sign him other than the fact that it would really annoy Dodgers fans?

San Francisco's bench this season has been serviceable if not remarkable. There is not a pressing need for a utility man who can play all over the diamond since the Giants have been fairly stable in keeping their position players where they are at and they have enough coverage on the bench to give players a break when they require one.

The only way signing Taylor would make sense is if he specialized in hitting against left-handed pitchers. The Giants have struggled a lot this season going against left-handed starters, but Taylor's career numbers against lefties are slightly worse than his numbers versus right-handed pitching.

Right now, it seems like the Giants are missing a player like Austin Slater. At his best, before he bounced around from team to team in the past year, Slater would dominate against left-handed pitching. Taylor does not quite fill that role, but he could be an interesting signing just to see if he has anything left in the tank.

However, the Giants would have to demote one of their bench players which would be difficult. Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos, and Christian Koss have all done good things for the Giants this year. Maybe they could send down Matos to the minors for a bit to see if Taylor can get hot and become a fixture in the lineup against lefties, but there are no guarantees that would happen.

If Farhan Zaidi were still the president of baseball operations, it would have been more shocking if the Giants did not end up signing Taylor. Yet, with a new front office that seems to be more interested in roster continuity, signing Taylor does not seem like a distinct possibility.

Nonetheless, it would rankle the feathers of Dodgers fans which is worth something, right?