Taylor finished the 2025 season in Orange County. He signed a big league contract after being released by the Dodgers in May. Taylor played 30 games for the Halos. He started games at all three outfield positions and at second and third base. Outside of that defensive flexibility, he didn’t make a big impact, as he struck out 29 times and batted .179 in 90 at-bats. Taylor almost immediately went on the injured list with a broken left hand. A brief return in July proved unsuccessful and he was essentially suspended until September.
The former All-Star combined for a .186/.256/.301 batting line over 125 plate appearances between the two Los Angeles teams. Taylor’s offense has declined over the last two seasons. His strikeout rate and power production have dropped, putting more emphasis on his already high strikeout rate. He has hit a 32% clip while hitting .196/.284/.301 with six home runs over 371 plate appearances over the last two seasons.
Taylor will compete for a bench role. He is still an above-average runner who can fill in anywhere other than catcher and shortstop. The Angels have wide open second base competition between Christian Moore, Vaughn Grissom, Oswald Peraza and non-roster invitee Nick Madrigal. Third base belongs to Yoan Moncada for now, but he is certainly not a paragon of durability. They’re putting together an outfield, inclusive I Adel, Jos Lowe and at least one of Mike Trout And Jorge Soler while the other works as a designated hitter.
A six-year player who ended up on the Major League roster last season, Taylor hit the market as an Article XX(b) free agent. If he signs a minor league contract, it would come with three automatic opt-out dates under the collective bargaining agreement: five days before opening day, May 1 and June 1.
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