The Los Angeles Dodgers have made decisions that aren’t easy over the past few weeks by designating Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor for assignment.
For the Dodgers, parting ways with the two veterans isn’t something that will likely go over well in the clubhouse.
When speaking to reporters about their departures, superstar Freddie Freeman admitted that both of them are players he loves.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a home run during the 1st inning against the Detroit Tigers.
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
“It’s like – there’s a card group of guys on the plane. Austin was one of them. Now Kirby Yates is on the IL. That’s another one that’s not going to travel,” Freeman said to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “A lot of people don’t understand, there’s a lot of things that go on. Losing people over the course of a year, it stinks.”
Freeman later added that there’s no other way around it, besides the fact that it “sucks.”
“It does suck. There’s no way around it,” Freeman said. “If you say you’re not sad when you lose friends, you’re not a human. You just get going. You’re going to be a little sad but that can’t be the reason you go 0 for 4 now.”
While a difficult decision for the Dodgers, it was ultimately something the team had to do to win at the highest level.
The Dodgers are focused on winning a World Series during the 2025 campaign, and Taylor and Barnes don’t bring them any closer to that.
Sure, there’s an argument to be made that their presence is needed, but the Dodgers have many other veterans who can pick up the slack.
