Longtime Dodgers utility man Taylor signs with Angels

ANAHEIM -- The Angels added a versatile veteran to the mix on Monday, signing free-agent utility man Chris Taylor to a one-year, $760,000 deal, the club announced.

Fellow utility man Kyren Paris, who got off to an incredible start but had been slumping since mid-April, was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday to make room for Taylor on the roster. Taylor, who was released by the Dodgers on May 18, started in center field and batted eighth for the Angels in a 5-1 loss to the Yankees on Monday night. Taylor went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his debut, as the offense mustered only five hits in the series opener at Angel Stadium.

“I’m excited to stay home,” Taylor said. “The Angels have been playing really good baseball. So I'm excited to join the team and hopefully get on the field. That's one thing with the Dodgers this year. Just my role, I wasn't getting on the field that much. So I'm really just looking forward to getting some consistent at-bats.”

The Angels were excited about the chance to add a seasoned veteran to the mix, as he can help mentor the club’s younger players and they believe he still has something to offer with a change of scenery.

“He brings experience,” manager Ron Washington said. “He’s been through the wars. It's a good piece for those young guys to talk to about how to handle the grind. He’s been over there grinding every day with L.A. and winning. And we want that. We've seen him play, and we’ll give him an opportunity to see what he’s got out there.”

Originally acquired via trade with the Mariners in June 2016, Taylor was a fixture in the Dodgers' lineup as a dedicated superutility player beginning in 2017. From 2017-21, he posted an .804 OPS (113 OPS+) with 78 home runs and 50 steals, earning an All-Star nod in 2021. He's played in 80 postseason games, winning World Series titles in 2020 and '24, and he was named MVP of the 2017 NLCS after hitting .316 with two homers against the Cubs.

Taylor, 34, was teammates with Angels closer Kenley Jansen from 2016-21, and Jansen was excited to be reunited with him. They made the postseason every year they played together, including winning the World Series in ’20.

“Every time you have a longtime teammate like that coming back and playing with you, it's awesome, man,” Jansen said. “Hopefully, he gets his time to showcase who he is. He still has a lot left in his tank. So I think once he gets more playing time here, it's going to be great for the organization and help us win ballgames.”

But roster changes and persistent injury issues led to dwindling playing time in recent seasons, and at the time of his release, Taylor had appeared in just 28 games (six starts) for the Dodgers this year, going 7-for-35 with two doubles, two RBIs and 13 strikeouts.

In Taylor, the Angels add a player who has logged over 1,000 career innings at four different positions -- second base, shortstop, left field and center field -- and another 506 1/3 at third base. He made his Angels debut in center field but will also see time in the infield, getting in work with Washington and infield coach Ryan Goins on infield drills before the game.

“He's going to play center field, he's going to play the infield,” Washington said. “He's going to be everywhere.”

Paris, meanwhile, was sent down to get more consistent playing time. Fueled by new swing mechanics based on Aaron Judge’s swing, Paris got off to a blistering start to the season. He slashed .366/.458/.805 with five homers, a double, a triple and five stolen bases through his first 15 games.

But since then, he slashed .106/.165/.176 with a homer, three doubles and two stolen bases in 28 games, giving him an overall slash line of .190/.226/.381 in 43 games this season. The 23-year-old will play exclusively center field in the Minors.

“We didn't option Paris because of the results, because if that was the case that would have already happened,” Washington said. “He needs to play. He's young. He just needs to go get at-bats. He needs to learn how to make the adjustments you have to make. But I was very impressed with the way he handled himself when things weren't going the way he wanted. He came to the ballpark, he showed tremendous work ethic. He was a great teammate, but at 23 years old, he needs to be getting at-bats every day.”