Chris Taylor, who over ten seasons gave Dodgers fans many moments to celebrate, officially retired from baseball. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Chris Taylor, the two-time World Series champion, former All-Star and NLCS MVP in 2017, has elected to retire from the game of baseball after a heady 12-year career.
Taylor, 35, was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2012 out of the University of Virginia. The native Virginian batted .356 as a freshman, helped lead the Cavaliers to the Men’s College Baseball World Series his sophomore year, and was team captain and second-team All-ACC as a junior, before being drafted.
Taylor made his MLB debut for the Mariners on July 24, 2014, going 1-for-3 against the Orioles. He played in 47 games that season, slashing .287/.347/.346, for a 102 OPS+. But in 2015, he regressed. In 37 games, he hit just .107 with no home runs and a single RBI.
After starting 2016 with Triple-A Tacoma, Taylor got called up to the big leagues for two games before Seattle traded the (then) infielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for pitching prospect Zach Lee.
2017 was Taylor’s breakout campaign. He played 140 games for Los Angeles, slashed .288/.354/.496, and hit 21 homers. But he saved his best for the post-season, where he was named the co-MVP of the NLCS with the Dodgers’ other reclamation project, Max Muncy. Taylor added a home run to lead off the World Series that October against the Astros (a series Los Angeles would ultimately lose in seven games).
In Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS, Taylor had a game for the ages, smacking three home runs against the Atlanta Braves to help stave off elimination (for at least one more day).
For much of a full decade, Taylor was part of the Dodgers’ firmament. He was a jack-of-all-trades, playing second base, shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions. In his ten seasons in Los Angeles, Taylor played more than one thousand games, hit 107 homers, finishing with an OPS of .761, while winning rings in 2020 and 2024.
After playing for the major league minimum his first few years, Taylor avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract in 2019. Prior to 2020, he agreed to a two-year, $13.4 million deal (part of which was prorated due to the Covid-shortened season). He then signed a four-year, $60 million contract to keep him in Dodger Blue through 2025.
Taylor started 2025 about as slowly as possible, slashing just .200/.200/.257 through his first 28 games and 35 plate appearances. In that time, he had a 28 OPS+, meaning he was 72% worse than the average major league player. His -0.6 bWAR was just above the -0.8 bWAR he had in 2015 when Seattle cut bait and traded him to Los Angeles. So, even with money left on the deal, the club released Taylor in May. He was quickly snapped up a few miles down I-5, as the Angels only needed to pay him the major league minimum to have him join their roster. In 30 games with the Halos, the utility player slashed a barely-better .179/.278/.321 for an exactly 0.0 bWAR.
With no takers in the off-season, Taylor signed a minor league contract to stay in the Angels organization. He was slashing .255/.382/.321 at Triple-A Salt Lake when an errant pitch broke his forearm. Upon suffering the injury, Taylor announced his retirement, only to revoke it a day later, only to revoke his revocation the next day.
Clearing up any confusion. I’ve officially decided to retire from the game I’ve dedicated my entire life towards. I’m beyond grateful to all of my coaches and teammates, and the organizations who allowed me to live out my childhood dream. I’ll forever cherish the memories along the way and most of all, the friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you to the loyal fans who have supported me through my success and stuck with me through the struggles. Thank you to my parents and family who have been with me from the very beginning. My baseball journey would have never begun if it weren’t for you guys. Most of all, thank you to my wife Mary who has been my number one. You stepped up for our family and allowed me to see my dream through all the way to the end and then some. I cant wait to start our next chapter in life together with our boys.
Over his big league career, Taylor made more than $75 million, which will allow him to keep up his philanthropic activities with the CT3 Foundation, an organization that the he and his wife Mary founded in 2020 that helps “children with cancer and other life-altering medical conditions, and those overcoming other challenges circumstances.”
On the tombstone for, and on the statue of, famed Dodger Jackie Robinson are the words: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Chris Taylor played the majority of his career for the Dodgers, and through his play on the field and for his acts and generosity off of it, he has embodied the legend’s message. Statistics aside, Chris Taylor had the type of career others can only hope to emulate.
Chris and Mary were married on Oahu in 2022, so it is only fitting to say to the now-retired ballplayer: “Aloha ‘Oe, Aloha ’Oe” (“Farewell to thee, Farewell to thee”).