January 21, 2026 • 48 mins
DV takes your calls and talks to newest Dodger, Kyle Tucker. DV shares his thoughts on the move and how it will impact the team's lineup. Andrew Friedman joins the show to discuss the signing and the Dodgers' plans for the upcoming season. DV also shares his thoughts on the Hall of Fame and the recent election of Carlos Beltran.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
All come on back.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Before you know it, they'll be back on the field
at Camelback Ranch.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Why can't this be spring training?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
But our coverage of the blue never stops. AM five
LA Sports. This is off season Dodger Talk. Get in
on the show by calling eight six six seven hashtag
Dodger Talk. And now your host, David Bassey, Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
To Dodger Talk. David Masse with you until eight o'clock
tonight here on AM five seventy LA Sports. And we
have a full board of calls. Thank you to Petro
some money for that four hour love fest. Great to
hear Dave Roberts cackle it up with the boys, and
they cackled right back when Dave Roberts, a three times
(00:45):
World Series manager, cackles at them and oh a humble brag.
He'll be playing at Augusta next week. Oh okay, Dave, Okay,
we get it, We get it, Dave. Hey, those are
the fruits of being a back to back World Series
champion manager. Those are the fruits of being a three
time World Series manager as well. We have a great
(01:08):
show for you tonight. The man of the Hour, Kyle
Tucker is going to join us. You'll hear our conversation
with Kyle after today's press conference coming up in fifteen minutes,
and at the bottom of the hour you'll hear from
Andrew Friedman. So we'll get to those two guys later
in the show, but between now and then, it's your
(01:28):
phone calls at eight sixty six nine eight seven two
five seventy. I got worried about this yesterday and now
it's starting to really gain traction in New York. We
had talked about in our last show about the possibility
of the Dodgers being the team to trade for the
Brewers Freddie Peralta. Well, it looks like the Mets are
(01:49):
going to be the ones trading for Freddie Peralta, and
that's a big acquisition for them, and they're rumored to
be in the mix for from Bravaldez as well. So
the Mets are quietly loading up. I would say that
they've had a better off season than what their fan
base beliefs they've had, and if they're able to pull
(02:13):
off this trade, which it looks like it's going to happen,
and then sign fran Bravaldez, they're solidifying their starting rotation.
And I started to get worried about this that the
Dodgers and Brewers never were really close to making a trade.
But the Mets certainly were engaged with the Brewers. And
don't forget the Mets GM president of Baseball Operations is
(02:36):
David Stearns, And what team did he used to run?
What team was he connected to the most? The Brewers.
That's why he and Matt Arnold are able to pull
off a trade like this. So that's happening. Freddy Prault
is going to the Mets, and man, I just got
to say, before we really get deep into Dodger baseball,
(02:57):
I had a wild day today. I woke up at
five am this morning because I got invited to speak
at this La Breakfast Club, which takes place in Los
Phelis at the Friendship Auditorium between Glendale Boulevard and Los
Felis Boulevard. And the way they reached out to me
(03:20):
was through Instagram dming me and it seemed legit. They're like, hey,
would you mind speaking to our breakfast club. I was like, yeah, sure,
Now breakfast for me, I'm not a big breakfast guy.
Breakfast for me is like nine thirty or ten. So
usually when people contact me through Instagram or any social
(03:43):
media platform to speak to their club. Low maintenance, right,
it's you go into a room, maybe a banquet hall,
and you do a little talk and take some questions.
But they really put together production and this La Breakfast Club.
I'll give you some local knowledge, as Petros would like
(04:06):
to say about the La Breakfast Club. A wacky group
that meets every week and they try to bring in
special speakers. And I want to say thank you to Rachel,
who's a big Dodger fan and certainly a big Dodger
talk fan. So Rachel was awesome and she educated me
on the La Breakfast Club. The Warner Brothers used to
(04:27):
be members of the La Breakfast Club. And how about
this when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Walter O'Malley
spoke at the same desk that I spoke at today
at the La Breakfast Club. Yeah, this is a very
historical club. They meet every week and very early seven am,
(04:50):
I saw one of our old engineers that I used
to work with at the place across the street on
Los Sienaga, Tim Ahern. Great to see Tim Ahearn. But
I spoke to that group. They are wacky they are
fun and they love the Dodgers. So it was great
to meet everybody today at the La Breakfast Club and
they're like, Hey, are you going to talk about this
(05:11):
on the show? I said, listen, after what I've seen
here today, I'm traumatized and impressed, and I'm certainly going
to talk about it. But great people out there. They're
just good people, just having a good time. Very wild
better than me walking my wife's dog around the neighborhood
(05:31):
and being accosted by neighbor Richie, the Yankee fan that
just wants to continue to badger me about a salary cap.
And speaking of a salary cap, I want to address
this part. Rob Manfred not sure if this was highlighted
as much as some of the other highlights of his
interview with Wfan last week, but he was asked directly
(05:56):
about the Dodgers and they're spending and honestly, I hate
to say they're spending their competitiveness because they are the
most well rounded organization in Major League Baseball. They don't
just throw money at players. They have a great infrastructure
that Andrew Friedman built from the ground up back in
(06:16):
twenty fifteen. I mean literally, net COLETTI had no resources
when he was the GM under Frank McCort to bring
in the infrastructure that Andrew Friedman brought in, and that
is the basis of the culture that he has created.
And here's what Rob Manfred had to say about the
(06:37):
question about the Dodgers and if he has any concerns
about the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I admire what the Dodger organization has done on both
sides of the house. I mean, they've done a phenomenal
job on the revenue side, and they've made great baseball decisions,
and you know, getting those two together is harder than
you think. And everything they've done completely within the rules.
And a large market like the Dodgers does drive your business.
(07:04):
I mean there's no you know, whether you say large
market villain whatever, you know, a team that's winning a
lot does can drive the market. I think the advantage
baseball has a very random sport, and you know, the
chances of stringing that many together I think are fairly limited.
But I do get concerned. You know, we try to
(07:26):
listen to our fans, and we do hear from fans
in a lot of markets that.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
You know, kids a city.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
When we look at the resources they have compared to
the resources that are available in our market. We don't
feel like it's quite a fair shake. And that's an
issue we're going to have to deal with.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
All right. The end of that answer is so ridiculous.
The Royals won the World Series and went back to
back World Series back in the you know, just ten
years ago, so that just doesn't hold water with me.
And oh, by the way, the men Mets were the
ones that offered Kyle Tucker the fifty five million dollars
(08:05):
annual average salary. It was the Mets that signed Bob
Bishett to a forty million dollar contract for one season
because he can opt out after this year, and I
have a feeling he will opt out after this season.
So let's not forget that. You know, the evil empire
or the villain of baseball was the Yankees and the
(08:26):
Red Sox who bought up every player imaginable to buy
their World Series championships from two to nine. Yeah, that
Yankee World Series and oh nine, how many homegrown guys
were on that team? The guys that were, they were
starting to get a little long in the tooth. And uh,
(08:47):
as far as you know, the Yankees now they're not
well rounded and have not been well rounded in over
twenty five years. So the Dodgers are what every other
team strives to be and a lot of things have
been They've been great. I'll back up here. The Dodgers
(09:07):
have executed really well. But luck is involved as well.
There have been some trades, there have been some signings
that didn't happen, and they benefited from that, and you
got to think that there is some luck. You talk
about luck winning the World Series. Well, as they used
to say, some trades that you don't make are the
(09:29):
best ones. Some of the signings that you don't get
the best ones. And you can thank the Braves and
the Red Sox for saying goodbye to two really good
players that are future Hall of famers, and Freddie Freeman
and Mookie Betts. You could thank the Angels for saying
goodbye to show Hey Otani, who's the best player on
the planet, who has been the reason why the Dodgers
(09:52):
have been able to reap the benefits of an international megastar,
not superstar mega star. And again Scott Boris. You know
many of you don't like Scott Boris. I do because
he makes a lot of common sense, and he gave
a statement today that said, this is a moment in
(10:12):
time in the sport. There is no need for overreaction
because o'tani is a once in a lifetime player. He
agreed to sign an incredible contract that allows the Dodgers
to be able to go out and fill in the
roster around him. There's no need for a salary cap.
There is a need for more teams to be able
(10:35):
to try to reinvest the luxury tax dollars and the
revenue they get from around Major League Baseball back into
their teams, like the Pirates, the Reds, the Marlins. They
all got to do that. And I applaud the Brewers
because the Brewers actually have maintained a payroll over one
hundred and thirty million dollars, and they actually have had
(10:57):
two really good gms and David Stearns and Matt Arnold
that have built an infrastructure to compete every year, similar
to Andrew Freeman and now Eric Neander in Tampa Bay.
With limited resources, it can be done. It can be done.
But this is such an overreaction for anybody to say
(11:18):
the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Honestly, the World Series was
great the last two years because it was the Dodgers,
it was the Yankees, and you had Canada's team, the
Blue Jays in there as well. So I will maintain
that nobody is going to sway me otherwise. And I
(11:38):
still don't buy there's going to be a salary cap
in Major League Baseball in twenty twenty seven. And I
still don't buy they are going to lose games next year.
It just would be so self destructive. Eight six six
nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number
when we come back. We'll get to Kyle Tucker. Had
a chance to catch up with Kyle Tucker after his
(12:01):
press conference, and he talked about trying to pry away
number thirty from Dave Roberts. He did address in our
conversation what has been said about him from anonymous staffers
with the Cubs and other people around baseball. And we'll
also get to where Kyle Tucker should hit in the lineup.
Where would you have Kyle Tucker hit in this incredibly
(12:24):
talented and deep lineup. I'll let you know where I
have him when we continue on Dodger Talk right here
on AM five seventy LA Sports Strange.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Thinking is that who working.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
On David Vase with you until eight o'clock tonight here
on AM five seventy LA Sports heading out to spring
training on February thirteenth. But before that, what really kicks
off every Dodger season the last few years is Dodger Fest,
and you can get tickets at Dodgers dot com slash
(13:01):
Dodger Fest. It's coming up at the end of January,
and it's January thirty first. We'll be broadcasting live from
Dodgers Stadium and Dodger Fest beginning at ten am that day.
You'll hear from all the big names, from Dave Roberts
to Mookie Betts to Freddie Freeman. And I'm sure Kyle
(13:21):
Tucker will be back out there as well. Will Smith,
the one of the heroes of the Dodgers winning Game
seven of the World Series, will be out there as well.
So Dodger Fest right around the corner on January thirty
first for more information on how you could get tickets.
Like I said, Dodgers dot Com slash Dodgers Fest. All right,
(13:42):
had a chance to catch up with Kyle Tucker. But
before we get to Kyle, and Andrew Friedman is going
to join us. At the bottom of the hour, I
saw on MLB dot Com they had a projected Dodgers
lineup with Kyle Tucker hitting sixth. Now, I don't know
who generates that lineup? Is it AI?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
This?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
AI generate that lineup? Right? Anytime I don't see something
I like, I blame AI. So I'm gonna give MLB
dot Com a free pass on this because I got
news for you. Any time you sign a player that
is going to make sixty million dollars in one season,
he's not hitting sixth. And Dave Roberts said as much
(14:25):
at the press conference today. When somebody asked him, where's
Kyle Tucker going to hit? He said, don't box me in.
But I'm looking at second or third in the lineup,
And it makes sense. Kyle Tucker can hit lefties similar
to Cody Bellinger, as I was laying that out as well.
Doesn't matter if you're right to your lefty. You gotta
hit lefties to protect Otani and Freddie Freeman and Kyle
(14:47):
Tucker do that really well. Now, if Kyle Tucker is
hitting in the first three, who's the other guy? Is
it Mookie bedsitting third? I could see that, and then
Freddy Freeman said cleanup. And then you have Will Smith
hitting fifth. That's a little late for Will Smith, who's
your most clutch batter, one of your best hitters. Fifth
(15:09):
is a little low. And then you got Muncie and
then you're telling me ta Oscar Hernandez is hitting sixth
or seventh. I could see that. I mean, this lineup
is so deep, but it's gonna be about production and
how this lineup. It's a lineup, so it's not about
each man on an island. It's how the lineup fits together.
(15:30):
And it'll be interesting to see who hits third and
who hits cleanup. And there's no secret Mookie Betts is
coming off his worst offensive season by a mile. If
he hits two sixty and struggles for the majority of
the season, how do you keep them hitting in the
first four. And I'm sure Mooki would be the first
(15:54):
one to tell you that. But I know Andrew Freeman
believes Mookie Bets is going to have a big bounce
back year. So what didn't surprise me? If Mookie Bets
is hitting third eight, six, six, nine, eighty seven, two
five seventy is the phone number? Where would you hit
Kyle Tucker in the Dodger lineup? And where would where
does Freddy Freeman and Mookie Bets go? I don't see.
(16:15):
I don't see Freddy Freeman hitting any lower than cleanup
in this lineup. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven two
five seventy is the phone number? All right? Here was
our exclusive one on one conversation with the newest Dodger
number twenty three, Kyle Tucker. All Right, Kyle, welcome to
Los Angeles. Great to see you actually wearing this Dodger jersey.
(16:36):
What does it mean to you to start this new
chapter in your baseball life?
Speaker 6 (16:40):
This is awesome. I'm extremely excited. I mean this, this
organization's very first class organization, from you know, ownership groups
to front office to the players, and you know, I
think the players kind of speak for themselves with their
their playing out on the field, and I think everyone
kind of recognizes that. So I'm excited to just be
a part of, you know, the team organization.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
This this city.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You said during the press conference, Freddie Freeman facetimed you
and said, don't do anything stupid. Does that mean he
doesn't want you to try to duplicate his worm dance
during the off season. Have you seen that.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
I don't know if that is a part of that
category or not, but I mean he seemed to be
pretty good at it. So I'm excited to ask him
to do it live. But we'll see what happens. But yeah,
you know, we just talking him on face hime for
for a second before we did the press conference stuff,
and he was like, just you know, don't do anything
stupid and you'll be good. So I was like, oh,
(17:31):
I appreciate it. Yeah, you know, you don't have to
worry about that.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
He seemed like you play life pretty safe.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Yeah. I try.
Speaker 6 (17:36):
I try to not not get too crazy with things,
especially you know, front of cameras and stuff.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
But no, I'm pretty good with everything, Kyl.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
A dimension of your game that I feel like not
enough has been talked about is the running the base
running in your career, you've stolen eighty eight percent of
the bases. The Dodgers were near the bottom of that.
Is that having the baseball IQ the awareness? How much
is that speed? I mean, what part of that dimension?
(18:06):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (18:09):
I mean, I'm not like the fastest guy, but I'm
not slow by any means, but I mean, if I
can take an extra ninety feet whenever I see that'll
benefit our team to possibly score an extra round, Like,
I'm gonna try and do what I can with it.
I mean, this this team's probably like if you're on
first base with the team, you're probably in scoring position.
So that's probably why that was a factor. But I mean,
(18:33):
I'm excited to help out the team, whether it's on
the basis defense, hitting wise, Like, I'm really excited to
get things going this year.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I had to look how well you've done at Dodger
Stadium in a small sample size forty played appearances, You've
done pretty well. How comfortable in those small nine games
do you feel hitting in this ballpark? And has Dodger
Stadium become a hitter's ballpark?
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I mean, I don't know my stats like that, but
I mean it's it's exciting playing here. I mean it's
it's a little tough because this team is very good,
and the fans definitely back then with that. So I
mean it's it's exciting playing here. I mean, there's there's
a lot of a lot of cool stadiums around around
the league, but I think This is definitely, you know,
at the top of the list with a lot of guys.
(19:16):
So just the history behind, you know, the Dodgers organization
and this city and everything, I think definitely plays a
factor into playing here. And it's it's exciting to be
part of that, you know, eighty one games of a year.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Now, Kyle Tucker is our guest. He's the newest Dodger
wearing jersey number twenty three. This is Dodger Talk until
eight o'clock. Kyle. A lot of players always talk about
free agency. You want it for so long and then
once you're there, it's a long winding road. How tough
was the process for you? And when did you start
to know that the Dodgers may be the team?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I mean, you know, it was tough.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
I didn't try and like kind of over analyze anything
or you know, put too much pressure on, you know,
any decision. But you know, you over the last couple
of weeks or so from today, is is starting to
get there with everything with the teams. I mean, there's
a lot of really good teams and organizations out there,
but you know, I just I just felt comfortable coming
to LA and playing for the Dodgers. Organization, Like I said,
(20:13):
their first class organization. This this team's phenomenal team, and
I'm excited to be a part of that. So I
mean when I kind of my wife and I kind
of factor all that into each other, I was like,
I think this is a good landing spot for us.
So that's kind of what we wanted to do, And
you know, I'm excited to get things started here in
spring training and then you know, opening day out.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Here at the beginning of the off season, did you
have the Dodgers in mind? Or is this something that
started to become more clear in the last three weeks.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
Probably more so the second part coming, you know, more
clear of the last couple of weeks or so. Obviously
I've never been a free agent before, so I was like,
I don't know how it works, but talking to other
guys that you know, have gone through the process before,
it definitely helped. And just kind of have a having
a nice, you know, kind of group around me to
kind of you to lead me in a direction on
a path that definitely helps. So I think I think we,
(21:05):
you know, made a pretty good decision in this.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
You're a guy that seems to let your play do
all the talking and in free agency you gotta lay back,
lay low. How did it make you feel when so
many people were speaking about you and for you? Was
that tough to you know, restrain yourself from Hey, that's
not really me.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I mean, there's you know, a lot of different opinions.
You know, there's a lot a lot of people out
there that have different opinions, and you know, obviously some
fan bases want you to come there and don't want
you to go to other organizations and whatnot.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
So but I don't know.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
I was just kind of treating it like a normal
off season, hanging out with my family and going on
a little vacation, playing some golf and stuff. So I
was like, I'm probably a big decision to be made,
but I was like, I'm just gonna try and treat
it like a normal off season. That way, I'm prepared
to go in spring training and have the red mindset
going into the year.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
All right, before I let you go, we are sitting
in Dave Roberts. I do not have my feed up
on his desk for the record, even though I want to.
What was the call like to try to get number
thirty from him? You said it was a shot in
the dark. Did you feel like the conversation was quick
or it was a good icebreaker to get to know
your new manager.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
I mean, obviously I kind of knew the reason behind
him wearing it and whatnot, but I just want to
at least, you know, at least give a courtesy call
about it and just kind of discuss it with him.
And whether I knew it was gonna be not happening
or not, but I'd figured out I at least kind
of reach out to him and just discuss it with him.
I told him I got a backup number in case, like,
(22:37):
it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I get it. So that's kind of how things worked out.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
So he was like, don't hate me for not doing this,
But I was like, nah, it's it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
We're all good.
Speaker 6 (22:47):
Like I got a backup number for you, and you know,
it all works out. I was like, I don't want
to mess with anything we got going up here, So
if that's what I kind of do, we'll stick to it.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Twenty three.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
There's been a lot of great twenty threes in Dodger history.
Eric Harros, who you're gonna see a lot and he'll
remind you that's his number. And I don't know if
you've heard about this guy hitting a home run in
nineteen eighty eight. He was a left handed hitter, Kirk Gibson.
So I know Michael Brantlee is your guy. But twenty
three means a lot for the Dodgers.
Speaker 6 (23:17):
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of great players out there,
like you mentioned, and I'm just excited to have this
one and you know, start a new new part of
my career here and you know, get things rolling with
twenty three.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
All right, you look suited and booted, ready to go
for LA. Damn good hair. Tucker, thanks a lot for
the time and welcome to LA.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, thank you, guys, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
All right, there is Kyle Tucker, your first introduction to
the Dodgers new right fielder. That's right, As we talked
about many times on this show, Tucker will play right,
Pahz will play center, and ta Oscar Hernandez we'll move
back to left field. And my bad to Adrian Gonzalez.
Another really good twenty three. I'm sorry, Gonzo, I did
(23:58):
not forget you. Twenty three. Adrian Gonzalez, Eric Harros and
Kurt Gibson have made that number famous wearing a Dodger jersey,
and certainly it'll be even more bigger moments coming with
another twenty three. This one. Kyle Tucker and I know
you know, we talked about this during the offseason, and
part of the reason why many people believe from what
(24:19):
I understand, that Kyle Tucker didn't sign sooner or get
more of an aggressive long term contract from another team
outside of the Blue Jays was because there were some
questions about the enthusiasm for the game of baseball. But
you're going to hear from Andrew Freeman coming up in
our next segment, and the Kyle Tucker that he describes
(24:42):
is much different from the Kyle Tuck from the Kyle
Tucker that we have heard about during this opseason. And look,
I've talked to some players. It's gonna be proven on
the field and we're gonna see whether or not this
Dodger team, that Dodger club house, that Dodger culture, is
going to bring the best out of Kyle Tucker. Because
(25:05):
Dave Roberts challenged him to be better at today's press conference.
So the Dodgers are a big believer that even though
Kyle Tucker has had a really good career to this
point that he can be better, and that set the
tone today. Let's go out to Pomona. Danny, you're on
Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
Danny, Hey, David, how's doing Buddy? My question to you, actually,
I would like to see Tucker at fifth and the
reason is because if the guys get on base and
he can bring him home, I think it's a win
win situation. But what is your Who do you think
had the best lineup for the Dodgers' history? And I'll
take your call. I'll take your answer offline.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Thank you?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Okay? Well, that I mean I would have to take
a look at that and really examine it. The greatest
lineup in Dodger history, it would be certainly the seventy
seven Dodgers. The majority of those players that played on
the seven seventy seven to eighty one Dodgers, even the
team that ended up winning the World Series, to a man,
they all say the seventy seven Dodgers were the best.
(26:09):
You look at what the seventeen Dodgers were doing. They
may not have been what they became, but certainly they
were a prolific offense. You look at a lineup in
twenty twenty one that won one hundred and six games
with Trey Turner and Corey Seeger and Cody Bellinger and
Justin Turner in the slame lineup. Those three come to
mind off the top of my head, and I'm sorry,
(26:30):
I disagree with you. I understand driving in runs, but
you want to have Kyle Tucker hitting in your first three.
He's that type of guy. And like I said, you
don't pay him sixty million dollars if you believe he's
a five hitter. I'm sorry. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven,
two five seventy is the phone number. When we continue,
we'll check in with Andrew Friedman. Had a chance to
(26:52):
talk to him about Kyle Tucker and the signing and
where the Dodgers offense is headed this season as they
person z sue a three peat right here on a
five to seventy LA sports great pol callin ye. Everybody
wants to rule the baseball world, but the Dodgers have
(27:12):
ruled it for the last two seasons, back to back
World Series champions, going for history a three peat in LA.
It all starts as the Dodgers get ready for spring
training at Dodger Fest January thirty first, will be broadcasting
live from Dodgers Stadium at ten am, and you can
(27:36):
get tickets to be at Dodger Fest to celebrate your
back to back World Series champions at Dodgers dot com
slash Dodger Fest. Our next Dodger talk show is going
to be on Friday night at seven o'clock. Happens to
be my mom, Bianca's birthday. And since I am a
sentimental guy and I am still a loyal guide to
(27:59):
many of the Dodgers that have worn the uniform the
last fifteen years, especially that I've been lucky enough to
cover it, so happens that it's falling into place. They
always come crawling back. That's what I always say. They
always come crawling back. And look who's crawling back. He
was in Seami Valley this past weekend and reached out
(28:19):
to me wanting to come on the show, and that
is Mariachi Joe Kelly. That's right. They always come crawling back,
even from riverside. Joe Kelly is going to be on
the show Friday night, and also Chris Taylor, who will
get a world series ring from being part of this
(28:40):
Dodger team at the beginning of the year, finished it
injured with the Angels. He is going to have his
third annual Polar Plunge at the Manhattan Beach Pier on
February first, the day after Dodger Fest. So wanted to
give Chris Taylor some love. And there's actually a video
(29:00):
that former Dodger hitting coach Turner Ward posted today on
his Instagram behind the scenes look, and I posted this
on my Instagram story at officially vassay of Chris Taylor
kind of emulating Justin Turner's batting stance as Justin Turner
is getting ready for a game in the batting cage
(29:21):
and on the couch you see a young Cody Bellinger, who,
by the way, re signed with the Yankees today and
Jock Peterson walking by Jock now is with the Rangers.
So great to reconnect with Chris Taylor. He'll join us
on Friday night. And yes, my old friend of me,
Joe Kelly, will join us on Friday night as well.
(29:43):
So if you love those two guys, if you love
what Andrew Freeman has built and the players that he
has brought in, so many great personalities, so many winners
since twenty fifteen, and those are two of those guys.
So looking forward to having both of them on the
show Friday night. Speaking of Andrew Friedman, after we talked
(30:03):
to Kyle Tucker, Andrew Friedman sat down on the vast
a couch outside of the Dodger Clubhouse and here was
our conversation. All right, Andrew, another day, another big signing,
Kyle Tucker. When did this start to become something you
felt could really happen?
Speaker 8 (30:20):
Yeah, I mean, I think getting into the off season
and thinking about our roster, the needs, what the free
agent market looked like, what the trademarket looked like. Kyle
was at the top of the list in terms of
guy who could move our World Series odds most significantly.
That being said, you know, we had no real expectation
in terms of how realistic it was going to be,
(30:44):
because for us, it was about doing something short term.
We have a lot of long term contracts on the books,
and for us, it was about you know, being as
good as we could be right now with the core
that we have in place, but not adding more or
in a way that might really hinder us.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
In twenty twenty nine, twenty.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thirty, just looking out years to give us and keep
us with the most flexibility, because while we're doing everything
we can to win a championship in twenty twenty six,
we have to keep an eye to those out years.
And we've talked about it a lot over the years,
you know, to not fall off the proverbial cliff. We've
seen a lot of large market teams have a run
(31:25):
of success fall off the cliff and take years to
build back. So we're doing everything we can so for
us going into this winner, we were only looking at
shorter term deals and kind of pair as high end
to talent with the group we have right now to
do everything we can over the next couple of years
to not be flipping about the opportunity we have in
(31:48):
front of us with the group that we have in place,
but also not do so in an irresponsible way that
would come back to really hurt us later. So we
didn't really have a great sense for the likelihood of
that lining up.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
And I would.
Speaker 8 (32:05):
Say, you know, five six days before the signing is
when we felt like, okay, this has some shot. And
then Doc Gohmer and I got on a another zoom
call with Tuck and his wife Sam, and the conversation
got into the community and where to live, and you know,
our foundation and things we do in the community and
(32:27):
things they do in the community, and it got much
more detailed, nuanced in a way where I thought, we
do have a real shot at this. I can't remember
a situation where a guy has signed a shorter term,
higher AAV deal when he's also had a long term,
big money deal on the table. Usually it's because that
hasn't materialized and they signed the shorter term deal and
(32:51):
try to reset the market. And so obviously it's a
very personal decision, but for us, it was about putting
the organization, the community, the fan base, the group of
players we have, and the opportunity in front of us
and sell that as much as we possibly could, which
gets back to kind of our ultimate goal, which is
(33:12):
to create a destination spot where our own players don't
want to leave, where players from other organizations want to come.
And I think it really played a factor in a
real role with us recruiting Tuck here.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Yeah, this is not unique. You've offered this type of
shorter term contract with a higher AAV to a couple
of other players that opted, like you said, to take
a longer term contract. What does that say about what
you've created here where now players will sacrifice that type
of long term security to be a part of this team.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (33:46):
I mean, I think the way that the Dodgers organization,
our staff take care of players and families, I think
is getting around the league in a way where we've
had guys reach out, agents reach out and say, hey,
I know you haven't called, but our player would really
like to play there.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
And so we're feeling it way more over the last
three four years.
Speaker 8 (34:12):
And that's the ultimate because obviously winning is everything, but
you win by creating that environment, and by creating that environment,
you get your own players to want to stay, you
get players from other organizations wanting to join on, and
then that's how you know championships are won. And so
it's not something we'll ever take lightly and put our
(34:34):
feet up and say, Okay, we've done it. It's kind
of a living organism that you have to continue to
nurture and enhance. But I feel like we've made a
ton of progress on that front and it's something that
is very real and tangible and playing out in free agency.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
You were very honest and open about the fact that
the offense did not live up to what your standards were,
what you thought the ceiling was for that team, to say,
and half of the season and the postseason last year,
how much does Tucker change the dynamic of your entire
lineup and your offense.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
Yeah, I mean, I still think there's internal work we
need to do, because I do feel like from July
through the end of the regular season and into October,
we did not perform up to expectations. And obviously there's
some injury stuff and there's different factors that play into that,
but we also need to have our eyes wide open
(35:30):
and figure out ways we can get better. And I
think what's exciting about this group is that everyone's focused
on that.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
No one's pointing fingers, there's no blame, no.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
It's just about how can we do this together and
continue to get better. And obviously adding Kyle will help
in a meaningful way. He's the guy that you could
argue is better against left and right. It's at least
close elite decision maker, elite back to ballsk and just
(36:02):
putting that type of hitter in our lineup is going
to lengthen it in a crazy way. It's going to add,
you know, real impact throughout our lineup in terms of
how he chews up pitches, the fact that he really
doesn't swing and miss very often, so putting balls in
play and how that can help score runs.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
And I think the thing that kind of surprises a
little bit through our.
Speaker 8 (36:29):
Conversations with him this winter is how much he cares
about the little things and getting better. On the basis,
getting better defensively. You know, last year's defense slips some
now some of that is the number of day games
in Chicago, and that can kind of wreck havoc on
a lot of guys defensive numbers. But of challenging him
(36:52):
for the you know, to buy into the daily routine
that we see all of our guys do.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
He said he was all in on that.
Speaker 8 (37:01):
So I think just the value he can add defensively,
the fact that he's hungry for growth and to learn
more and to get better fits in very well within
our environment, and we're going to continue to work with him,
do everything we can to help make him better and
better and help us win more games.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
The guy you just described getting to know through this
free agency process doesn't seem to be the same guy
that a lot of people were speaking about anonymously, you
know in the shadows. What did you think about all
that and do you feel like he's been misrepresented?
Speaker 8 (37:37):
Yeah, I mean we obviously we spend a lot of
time on this talking to teammates and coaches and clubhouse
staff he's been around, and trainers and just trying to
understand him more. And I think, you know, he doesn't
have the most demonstrative personality. It's not the biggest personality,
and so I think his demeanor can be misconstrued. For us,
(38:01):
We've got enough personalities. For us, it's about how well
does he compete in the box, how hard does he work?
How much does he care about winning? And for us,
we felt like all those questions are really satisfied. His
you know, commitment to you know, doing that daily defensive routine,
which our guys do, we think speaks to that just
(38:26):
add attention to detail and the fact that if you
make it that important that you know, he's got the
physical ability to be good out there, and it's just
bringing that to life more obviously what he does in
the box. You know, he's got a routine that when
we acquired Freddy Freeman, people were like, oh, you know,
(38:48):
he just his pregame routine just isn't very elaborate.
Speaker 5 (38:53):
That's okay.
Speaker 8 (38:54):
Guys who are really good at what they do and
have a comfort with how they go about it. We're
not looking to change, and so it is a more
simple kind of pregame routine in terms of what he
needs to get ready. But we don't have a rule
of you have to do this. We have some guys
who hit, in my opinion, too much before a game,
(39:14):
and so for me, guys who hit too little before
a game. If they're going out and producing at seven o'clock, that's.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
Not too little.
Speaker 8 (39:21):
And I think it's just about whatever you need to
get ready to go out and compete and help us
win a baseball game. And we feel very good about that.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yea.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
That goes back to what everybody on your staff says.
We just let these guys be themselves, and that's what
allows all of it to come together, is being yourself.
Allowed Freddy Freeman to do the Worm more than twice
this obseason, and I thought it was ironic that he's
telling Kyle Tucker not to do anything stupid after seeing
(39:50):
the Worm. Where are you at on the Worm and
Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 8 (39:55):
I was incredibly impressed by it, setting aside my emotions
of how much I disliked it, and I can't wait
to see him do it every week when he's working
with us after he's done playing.
Speaker 5 (40:08):
Now I don't like it as much, but.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
On a scale of ten, it's gotta be a.
Speaker 5 (40:13):
Nine, right, it's solid.
Speaker 8 (40:15):
I mean, I may give it a nine and a half,
but anytime he does it until he retires, it's a zero.
Speaker 5 (40:21):
It's a disqualification. It's a zero. I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
I'm the only one that can do foolish things.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
Exactly, and we've got you. It's perfect. That's enough for us.
Speaker 3 (40:31):
Thanks a lot for the time, and I feel like
my hair can compete with Tuckers, no doubt.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
Yeah, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 8 (40:37):
I spent a little time during this interview looking at
it and kind of taking it in and the symmetry
it's impressive.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
We'll leave it right there. There's the great Andrew Friedman
looking for that three pete. No doubt, And yes, indeed,
thanks to my guy doctor Deutsch at Bosley, the symmetry
of the head and the lettuce is looking great. I'm
not ashamed. About it anyway. You know, everybody in the
media world, and rightfully so, talking Hall of Fame for
(41:06):
Dave Roberts. If you're saying Dave Roberts Hall of Famer
in the same breath, you better say Hall of Famer
Andrew Friedman, because you can't say Dave Roberts without Andrew Friedman,
and vice versa. You don't say Andrew Friedman without Dave Roberts.
They are together, right They're synonymous with each other. They're linked.
(41:28):
There's no changing that right now. They are linked. Unprecedented
success during their tenure of being partners in all this,
and the one word I remember when Andrew Friedman was
introduced taken over for Ned Colletti. He always talked about
a collaborative effort, and Dave Roberts and Andrew Freeman certainly
(41:49):
have had that. And I feel like it went to
another level during the twenty twenty season and during that
World Series. You know, being in that bubble, being in
select from the outside noise more than any other regular season,
feels like something changed in twenty twenty and it's just
(42:09):
been you know, they've been in lockstep ever since the
beginning of twenty twenty and they certainly have brought a
lot of success to the Dodgers. And speaking of the
Hall of Fame, we haven't been we haven't been on
since they elected Andrew Jones and Carlos Beltran into the
(42:33):
Hall of Fame. Let's start with Beltran. All these writers
are so against the Barry Bonds, the Mark mcguires, the
a Rods because they cheated the game. So I guess
we're just going to have amnesia, selective amnesia when it
comes to Carlos Beltran, who was one of, if not
(42:53):
the ringleader, of the Astros cheating scandal in twenty seventeen. Yes,
he was one of the great offensive center fielders in
baseball history over twenty years, even though he did play
twenty years and never accumulated three thousand hits or five
hundred home runs. But he did hit four hundred plus
(43:15):
home runs and had a lifetime batting average of close
to three hundred. But he still cheated. The Mets hired
him to be their manager, and when that came out,
they couldn't hire him anymore because he was tainted. Barry
Bonds made his teams better by trying to enhance his
(43:36):
body and his performance, and he never tested positive. For
all those that say he tested positive when he never
tested positive. So I have an issue with that. If
you're going to be on that side of history where
you're not going to vote for the Bonds, the Clemens,
(43:57):
the a Rods, how can you vote for Carlos Beltie
and Andrew Jones? Come on, come on? Really he was good,
but that doesn't mean he was a Hall of Famer.
I saw Andrew Jones play. He was really good, but
he wasn't a Hall of Famer, trust me. And he
(44:18):
cheated the game in some ways by not giving full
effort when he signed with the Dodgers. Remember that one year,
twenty million dollar contract I do. I mean that was
not one of Neck Coletti's best moments sonning Andrew Jones,
and that was that was you know, I'm not going
to say that, mates, it makes his career. But even
(44:40):
when he was with the Braves, I know his teammates
love him, but who doesn't love their teammates. He's not
a Hall of Famer. So I have a bigger issue
with Carlos Beltrend than I have with Andrew Jones, and
I kind of have an issue with both of them
in separate ways. I'm not a big haul guy. Baseball
has separated itself from the Basketball Hall of Fame and
(45:02):
also the Pro Football Hall of Fame by really making
it the Hall of Fame. And even in the Hall
of Fame itself, there's different levels of Hall of Famers,
but it feels like the standard has been lowered, and
everybody tries to, you know, with time and statistics and analytics,
trying to make a case and a reason for why
(45:23):
somebody should be in there, and it's never consistent. If
you're talking about a six year peak, is that really
a Hall of Fame career? I don't buy into that.
Sandy coach I hate when people bring up Sandy Kofex.
He's an outlier. Of course, he was one of the
greatest pitchers of all time, even in a short span.
But that's not the case with everybody else. And also
(45:46):
the guys that played twenty years, you should be able
to get five hundred home runs and three thousand hits.
Baltrand played twenty years, cheated and never got those numbers.
And oh, by the way, telling me in twenty seventeen
when he came up with this idea and how to
bang the trash cans and use the video to their advantage.
(46:08):
You're telling me Carlos Beltrand never did something out of
bounds with other teams to steal signs. Hard to believe.
Hard to believe. How can he not be allowed to
manage in Major League Baseball? But then you're going to
elect him into the Hall of Fame. To me, it's
a huge contradiction. And honestly, I don't get that worked
(46:32):
up anymore about the Hall of Fame. I think it's
been so watered down and there's been so many contradictions
that it doesn't mean as much as it used to.
It may not mean anything to me until some of
these Dodgers and some of these players of this generation
are eligible for the Hall of Fame. And I'm not
just saying Dodger players, but players from this generation. And
(46:55):
maybe it starts next year with Buster Posey, of all people,
he's going to be on the ballot for the first time,
and also Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochi are going to
be eligible in a committee vote. So I hate to
break this to you Dodger fans, you may have a
trio of giants inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
(47:18):
Two managers and a Hall of Fame catcher and Buster Posey.
All right, that'll do it for us on Dodger Talk tonight.
We'll be back with you on Friday night at seven o'clock.
Mariachi Joe Kelly will join us, as will Chris Taylor.
Thanks to Kyle Tucker and Andrew Friedman for their time today.
Thanks to the La Breakfast Club for having me up
(47:40):
earlier than I ever have been in a very long time.
That's good training for spring training. I have to wake
up early for spring training, So thank you to the
La Wacky Breakfast Club, and thanks to Colinie for all
his help, and thank you for listening. In case you
missed any of the show or interviews with Tucker and Friedman,
you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. You can
(48:02):
also follow me on social media on x at the
Real Underscore DV and on Instagram at Officially vass A.
Cody Bellinger stays with the Yankees, Kyle Tucker is officially
a Dodger, and Freddie Peralta traded to the Mets. As
the baseball world turns sounds like a great sport to me.
(48:23):
Don't let anybody tell you anything different have a great
rest of your night. See you
All come on back.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Before you know it, they'll be back on the field
at Camelback Ranch.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Why can't this be spring training?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
But our coverage of the blue never stops. AM five
LA Sports. This is off season Dodger Talk. Get in
on the show by calling eight six six seven hashtag
Dodger Talk. And now your host, David Bassey, Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
To Dodger Talk. David Masse with you until eight o'clock
tonight here on AM five seventy LA Sports. And we
have a full board of calls. Thank you to Petro
some money for that four hour love fest. Great to
hear Dave Roberts cackle it up with the boys, and
they cackled right back when Dave Roberts, a three times
(00:45):
World Series manager, cackles at them and oh a humble brag.
He'll be playing at Augusta next week. Oh okay, Dave, Okay,
we get it, We get it, Dave. Hey, those are
the fruits of being a back to back World Series
champion manager. Those are the fruits of being a three
time World Series manager as well. We have a great
(01:08):
show for you tonight. The man of the Hour, Kyle
Tucker is going to join us. You'll hear our conversation
with Kyle after today's press conference coming up in fifteen minutes,
and at the bottom of the hour you'll hear from
Andrew Friedman. So we'll get to those two guys later
in the show, but between now and then, it's your
(01:28):
phone calls at eight sixty six nine eight seven two
five seventy. I got worried about this yesterday and now
it's starting to really gain traction in New York. We
had talked about in our last show about the possibility
of the Dodgers being the team to trade for the
Brewers Freddie Peralta. Well, it looks like the Mets are
(01:49):
going to be the ones trading for Freddie Peralta, and
that's a big acquisition for them, and they're rumored to
be in the mix for from Bravaldez as well. So
the Mets are quietly loading up. I would say that
they've had a better off season than what their fan
base beliefs they've had, and if they're able to pull
(02:13):
off this trade, which it looks like it's going to happen,
and then sign fran Bravaldez, they're solidifying their starting rotation.
And I started to get worried about this that the
Dodgers and Brewers never were really close to making a trade.
But the Mets certainly were engaged with the Brewers. And
don't forget the Mets GM president of Baseball Operations is
(02:36):
David Stearns, And what team did he used to run?
What team was he connected to the most? The Brewers.
That's why he and Matt Arnold are able to pull
off a trade like this. So that's happening. Freddy Prault
is going to the Mets, and man, I just got
to say, before we really get deep into Dodger baseball,
(02:57):
I had a wild day today. I woke up at
five am this morning because I got invited to speak
at this La Breakfast Club, which takes place in Los
Phelis at the Friendship Auditorium between Glendale Boulevard and Los
Felis Boulevard. And the way they reached out to me
(03:20):
was through Instagram dming me and it seemed legit. They're like, hey,
would you mind speaking to our breakfast club. I was like, yeah, sure,
Now breakfast for me, I'm not a big breakfast guy.
Breakfast for me is like nine thirty or ten. So
usually when people contact me through Instagram or any social
(03:43):
media platform to speak to their club. Low maintenance, right,
it's you go into a room, maybe a banquet hall,
and you do a little talk and take some questions.
But they really put together production and this La Breakfast Club.
I'll give you some local knowledge, as Petros would like
(04:06):
to say about the La Breakfast Club. A wacky group
that meets every week and they try to bring in
special speakers. And I want to say thank you to Rachel,
who's a big Dodger fan and certainly a big Dodger
talk fan. So Rachel was awesome and she educated me
on the La Breakfast Club. The Warner Brothers used to
(04:27):
be members of the La Breakfast Club. And how about
this when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Walter O'Malley
spoke at the same desk that I spoke at today
at the La Breakfast Club. Yeah, this is a very
historical club. They meet every week and very early seven am,
(04:50):
I saw one of our old engineers that I used
to work with at the place across the street on
Los Sienaga, Tim Ahern. Great to see Tim Ahearn. But
I spoke to that group. They are wacky they are
fun and they love the Dodgers. So it was great
to meet everybody today at the La Breakfast Club and
they're like, Hey, are you going to talk about this
(05:11):
on the show? I said, listen, after what I've seen
here today, I'm traumatized and impressed, and I'm certainly going
to talk about it. But great people out there. They're
just good people, just having a good time. Very wild
better than me walking my wife's dog around the neighborhood
(05:31):
and being accosted by neighbor Richie, the Yankee fan that
just wants to continue to badger me about a salary cap.
And speaking of a salary cap, I want to address
this part. Rob Manfred not sure if this was highlighted
as much as some of the other highlights of his
interview with Wfan last week, but he was asked directly
(05:56):
about the Dodgers and they're spending and honestly, I hate
to say they're spending their competitiveness because they are the
most well rounded organization in Major League Baseball. They don't
just throw money at players. They have a great infrastructure
that Andrew Friedman built from the ground up back in
(06:16):
twenty fifteen. I mean literally, net COLETTI had no resources
when he was the GM under Frank McCort to bring
in the infrastructure that Andrew Friedman brought in, and that
is the basis of the culture that he has created.
And here's what Rob Manfred had to say about the
(06:37):
question about the Dodgers and if he has any concerns
about the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I admire what the Dodger organization has done on both
sides of the house. I mean, they've done a phenomenal
job on the revenue side, and they've made great baseball decisions,
and you know, getting those two together is harder than
you think. And everything they've done completely within the rules.
And a large market like the Dodgers does drive your business.
(07:04):
I mean there's no you know, whether you say large
market villain whatever, you know, a team that's winning a
lot does can drive the market. I think the advantage
baseball has a very random sport, and you know, the
chances of stringing that many together I think are fairly limited.
But I do get concerned. You know, we try to
(07:26):
listen to our fans, and we do hear from fans
in a lot of markets that.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
You know, kids a city.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
When we look at the resources they have compared to
the resources that are available in our market. We don't
feel like it's quite a fair shake. And that's an
issue we're going to have to deal with.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
All right. The end of that answer is so ridiculous.
The Royals won the World Series and went back to
back World Series back in the you know, just ten
years ago, so that just doesn't hold water with me.
And oh, by the way, the men Mets were the
ones that offered Kyle Tucker the fifty five million dollars
(08:05):
annual average salary. It was the Mets that signed Bob
Bishett to a forty million dollar contract for one season
because he can opt out after this year, and I
have a feeling he will opt out after this season.
So let's not forget that. You know, the evil empire
or the villain of baseball was the Yankees and the
(08:26):
Red Sox who bought up every player imaginable to buy
their World Series championships from two to nine. Yeah, that
Yankee World Series and oh nine, how many homegrown guys
were on that team? The guys that were, they were
starting to get a little long in the tooth. And uh,
(08:47):
as far as you know, the Yankees now they're not
well rounded and have not been well rounded in over
twenty five years. So the Dodgers are what every other
team strives to be and a lot of things have
been They've been great. I'll back up here. The Dodgers
(09:07):
have executed really well. But luck is involved as well.
There have been some trades, there have been some signings
that didn't happen, and they benefited from that, and you
got to think that there is some luck. You talk
about luck winning the World Series. Well, as they used
to say, some trades that you don't make are the
(09:29):
best ones. Some of the signings that you don't get
the best ones. And you can thank the Braves and
the Red Sox for saying goodbye to two really good
players that are future Hall of famers, and Freddie Freeman
and Mookie Betts. You could thank the Angels for saying
goodbye to show Hey Otani, who's the best player on
the planet, who has been the reason why the Dodgers
(09:52):
have been able to reap the benefits of an international megastar,
not superstar mega star. And again Scott Boris. You know
many of you don't like Scott Boris. I do because
he makes a lot of common sense, and he gave
a statement today that said, this is a moment in
(10:12):
time in the sport. There is no need for overreaction
because o'tani is a once in a lifetime player. He
agreed to sign an incredible contract that allows the Dodgers
to be able to go out and fill in the
roster around him. There's no need for a salary cap.
There is a need for more teams to be able
(10:35):
to try to reinvest the luxury tax dollars and the
revenue they get from around Major League Baseball back into
their teams, like the Pirates, the Reds, the Marlins. They
all got to do that. And I applaud the Brewers
because the Brewers actually have maintained a payroll over one
hundred and thirty million dollars, and they actually have had
(10:57):
two really good gms and David Stearns and Matt Arnold
that have built an infrastructure to compete every year, similar
to Andrew Freeman and now Eric Neander in Tampa Bay.
With limited resources, it can be done. It can be done.
But this is such an overreaction for anybody to say
(11:18):
the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Honestly, the World Series was
great the last two years because it was the Dodgers,
it was the Yankees, and you had Canada's team, the
Blue Jays in there as well. So I will maintain
that nobody is going to sway me otherwise. And I
(11:38):
still don't buy there's going to be a salary cap
in Major League Baseball in twenty twenty seven. And I
still don't buy they are going to lose games next year.
It just would be so self destructive. Eight six six
nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number
when we come back. We'll get to Kyle Tucker. Had
a chance to catch up with Kyle Tucker after his
(12:01):
press conference, and he talked about trying to pry away
number thirty from Dave Roberts. He did address in our
conversation what has been said about him from anonymous staffers
with the Cubs and other people around baseball. And we'll
also get to where Kyle Tucker should hit in the lineup.
Where would you have Kyle Tucker hit in this incredibly
(12:24):
talented and deep lineup. I'll let you know where I
have him when we continue on Dodger Talk right here
on AM five seventy LA Sports Strange.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Thinking is that who working.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
On David Vase with you until eight o'clock tonight here
on AM five seventy LA Sports heading out to spring
training on February thirteenth. But before that, what really kicks
off every Dodger season the last few years is Dodger Fest,
and you can get tickets at Dodgers dot com slash
(13:01):
Dodger Fest. It's coming up at the end of January,
and it's January thirty first. We'll be broadcasting live from
Dodgers Stadium and Dodger Fest beginning at ten am that day.
You'll hear from all the big names, from Dave Roberts
to Mookie Betts to Freddie Freeman. And I'm sure Kyle
(13:21):
Tucker will be back out there as well. Will Smith,
the one of the heroes of the Dodgers winning Game
seven of the World Series, will be out there as well.
So Dodger Fest right around the corner on January thirty
first for more information on how you could get tickets.
Like I said, Dodgers dot Com slash Dodgers Fest. All right,
(13:42):
had a chance to catch up with Kyle Tucker. But
before we get to Kyle, and Andrew Friedman is going
to join us. At the bottom of the hour, I
saw on MLB dot Com they had a projected Dodgers
lineup with Kyle Tucker hitting sixth. Now, I don't know
who generates that lineup? Is it AI?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
This?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
AI generate that lineup? Right? Anytime I don't see something
I like, I blame AI. So I'm gonna give MLB
dot Com a free pass on this because I got
news for you. Any time you sign a player that
is going to make sixty million dollars in one season,
he's not hitting sixth. And Dave Roberts said as much
(14:25):
at the press conference today. When somebody asked him, where's
Kyle Tucker going to hit? He said, don't box me in.
But I'm looking at second or third in the lineup,
And it makes sense. Kyle Tucker can hit lefties similar
to Cody Bellinger, as I was laying that out as well.
Doesn't matter if you're right to your lefty. You gotta
hit lefties to protect Otani and Freddie Freeman and Kyle
(14:47):
Tucker do that really well. Now, if Kyle Tucker is
hitting in the first three, who's the other guy? Is
it Mookie bedsitting third? I could see that, and then
Freddy Freeman said cleanup. And then you have Will Smith
hitting fifth. That's a little late for Will Smith, who's
your most clutch batter, one of your best hitters. Fifth
(15:09):
is a little low. And then you got Muncie and
then you're telling me ta Oscar Hernandez is hitting sixth
or seventh. I could see that. I mean, this lineup
is so deep, but it's gonna be about production and
how this lineup. It's a lineup, so it's not about
each man on an island. It's how the lineup fits together.
(15:30):
And it'll be interesting to see who hits third and
who hits cleanup. And there's no secret Mookie Betts is
coming off his worst offensive season by a mile. If
he hits two sixty and struggles for the majority of
the season, how do you keep them hitting in the
first four. And I'm sure Mooki would be the first
(15:54):
one to tell you that. But I know Andrew Freeman
believes Mookie Bets is going to have a big bounce
back year. So what didn't surprise me? If Mookie Bets
is hitting third eight, six, six, nine, eighty seven, two
five seventy is the phone number? Where would you hit
Kyle Tucker in the Dodger lineup? And where would where
does Freddy Freeman and Mookie Bets go? I don't see.
(16:15):
I don't see Freddy Freeman hitting any lower than cleanup
in this lineup. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven two
five seventy is the phone number? All right? Here was
our exclusive one on one conversation with the newest Dodger
number twenty three, Kyle Tucker. All Right, Kyle, welcome to
Los Angeles. Great to see you actually wearing this Dodger jersey.
(16:36):
What does it mean to you to start this new
chapter in your baseball life?
Speaker 6 (16:40):
This is awesome. I'm extremely excited. I mean this, this
organization's very first class organization, from you know, ownership groups
to front office to the players, and you know, I
think the players kind of speak for themselves with their
their playing out on the field, and I think everyone
kind of recognizes that. So I'm excited to just be
a part of, you know, the team organization.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
This this city.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You said during the press conference, Freddie Freeman facetimed you
and said, don't do anything stupid. Does that mean he
doesn't want you to try to duplicate his worm dance
during the off season. Have you seen that.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
I don't know if that is a part of that
category or not, but I mean he seemed to be
pretty good at it. So I'm excited to ask him
to do it live. But we'll see what happens. But yeah,
you know, we just talking him on face hime for
for a second before we did the press conference stuff,
and he was like, just you know, don't do anything
stupid and you'll be good. So I was like, oh,
(17:31):
I appreciate it. Yeah, you know, you don't have to
worry about that.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
He seemed like you play life pretty safe.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Yeah. I try.
Speaker 6 (17:36):
I try to not not get too crazy with things,
especially you know, front of cameras and stuff.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
But no, I'm pretty good with everything, Kyl.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
A dimension of your game that I feel like not
enough has been talked about is the running the base
running in your career, you've stolen eighty eight percent of
the bases. The Dodgers were near the bottom of that.
Is that having the baseball IQ the awareness? How much
is that speed? I mean, what part of that dimension?
(18:06):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (18:09):
I mean, I'm not like the fastest guy, but I'm
not slow by any means, but I mean, if I
can take an extra ninety feet whenever I see that'll
benefit our team to possibly score an extra round, Like,
I'm gonna try and do what I can with it.
I mean, this this team's probably like if you're on
first base with the team, you're probably in scoring position.
So that's probably why that was a factor. But I mean,
(18:33):
I'm excited to help out the team, whether it's on
the basis defense, hitting wise, Like, I'm really excited to
get things going this year.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I had to look how well you've done at Dodger
Stadium in a small sample size forty played appearances, You've
done pretty well. How comfortable in those small nine games
do you feel hitting in this ballpark? And has Dodger
Stadium become a hitter's ballpark?
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I mean, I don't know my stats like that, but
I mean it's it's exciting playing here. I mean it's
it's a little tough because this team is very good,
and the fans definitely back then with that. So I
mean it's it's exciting playing here. I mean, there's there's
a lot of a lot of cool stadiums around around
the league, but I think This is definitely, you know,
at the top of the list with a lot of guys.
(19:16):
So just the history behind, you know, the Dodgers organization
and this city and everything, I think definitely plays a
factor into playing here. And it's it's exciting to be
part of that, you know, eighty one games of a year.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Now, Kyle Tucker is our guest. He's the newest Dodger
wearing jersey number twenty three. This is Dodger Talk until
eight o'clock. Kyle. A lot of players always talk about
free agency. You want it for so long and then
once you're there, it's a long winding road. How tough
was the process for you? And when did you start
to know that the Dodgers may be the team?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I mean, you know, it was tough.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
I didn't try and like kind of over analyze anything
or you know, put too much pressure on, you know,
any decision. But you know, you over the last couple
of weeks or so from today, is is starting to
get there with everything with the teams. I mean, there's
a lot of really good teams and organizations out there,
but you know, I just I just felt comfortable coming
to LA and playing for the Dodgers. Organization, Like I said,
(20:13):
their first class organization. This this team's phenomenal team, and
I'm excited to be a part of that. So I
mean when I kind of my wife and I kind
of factor all that into each other, I was like,
I think this is a good landing spot for us.
So that's kind of what we wanted to do, And
you know, I'm excited to get things started here in
spring training and then you know, opening day out.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Here at the beginning of the off season, did you
have the Dodgers in mind? Or is this something that
started to become more clear in the last three weeks.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
Probably more so the second part coming, you know, more
clear of the last couple of weeks or so. Obviously
I've never been a free agent before, so I was like,
I don't know how it works, but talking to other
guys that you know, have gone through the process before,
it definitely helped. And just kind of have a having
a nice, you know, kind of group around me to
kind of you to lead me in a direction on
a path that definitely helps. So I think I think we,
(21:05):
you know, made a pretty good decision in this.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
You're a guy that seems to let your play do
all the talking and in free agency you gotta lay back,
lay low. How did it make you feel when so
many people were speaking about you and for you? Was
that tough to you know, restrain yourself from Hey, that's
not really me.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I mean, there's you know, a lot of different opinions.
You know, there's a lot a lot of people out
there that have different opinions, and you know, obviously some
fan bases want you to come there and don't want
you to go to other organizations and whatnot.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
So but I don't know.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
I was just kind of treating it like a normal
off season, hanging out with my family and going on
a little vacation, playing some golf and stuff. So I
was like, I'm probably a big decision to be made,
but I was like, I'm just gonna try and treat
it like a normal off season. That way, I'm prepared
to go in spring training and have the red mindset
going into the year.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
All right, before I let you go, we are sitting
in Dave Roberts. I do not have my feed up
on his desk for the record, even though I want to.
What was the call like to try to get number
thirty from him? You said it was a shot in
the dark. Did you feel like the conversation was quick
or it was a good icebreaker to get to know
your new manager.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
I mean, obviously I kind of knew the reason behind
him wearing it and whatnot, but I just want to
at least, you know, at least give a courtesy call
about it and just kind of discuss it with him.
And whether I knew it was gonna be not happening
or not, but I'd figured out I at least kind
of reach out to him and just discuss it with him.
I told him I got a backup number in case, like,
(22:37):
it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I get it. So that's kind of how things worked out.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
So he was like, don't hate me for not doing this,
But I was like, nah, it's it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
We're all good.
Speaker 6 (22:47):
Like I got a backup number for you, and you know,
it all works out. I was like, I don't want
to mess with anything we got going up here, So
if that's what I kind of do, we'll stick to it.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Twenty three.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
There's been a lot of great twenty threes in Dodger history.
Eric Harros, who you're gonna see a lot and he'll
remind you that's his number. And I don't know if
you've heard about this guy hitting a home run in
nineteen eighty eight. He was a left handed hitter, Kirk Gibson.
So I know Michael Brantlee is your guy. But twenty
three means a lot for the Dodgers.
Speaker 6 (23:17):
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of great players out there,
like you mentioned, and I'm just excited to have this
one and you know, start a new new part of
my career here and you know, get things rolling with
twenty three.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
All right, you look suited and booted, ready to go
for LA. Damn good hair. Tucker, thanks a lot for
the time and welcome to LA.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, thank you, guys, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
All right, there is Kyle Tucker, your first introduction to
the Dodgers new right fielder. That's right, As we talked
about many times on this show, Tucker will play right,
Pahz will play center, and ta Oscar Hernandez we'll move
back to left field. And my bad to Adrian Gonzalez.
Another really good twenty three. I'm sorry, Gonzo, I did
(23:58):
not forget you. Twenty three. Adrian Gonzalez, Eric Harros and
Kurt Gibson have made that number famous wearing a Dodger jersey,
and certainly it'll be even more bigger moments coming with
another twenty three. This one. Kyle Tucker and I know
you know, we talked about this during the offseason, and
part of the reason why many people believe from what
(24:19):
I understand, that Kyle Tucker didn't sign sooner or get
more of an aggressive long term contract from another team
outside of the Blue Jays was because there were some
questions about the enthusiasm for the game of baseball. But
you're going to hear from Andrew Freeman coming up in
our next segment, and the Kyle Tucker that he describes
(24:42):
is much different from the Kyle Tuck from the Kyle
Tucker that we have heard about during this opseason. And look,
I've talked to some players. It's gonna be proven on
the field and we're gonna see whether or not this
Dodger team, that Dodger club house, that Dodger culture, is
going to bring the best out of Kyle Tucker. Because
(25:05):
Dave Roberts challenged him to be better at today's press conference.
So the Dodgers are a big believer that even though
Kyle Tucker has had a really good career to this
point that he can be better, and that set the
tone today. Let's go out to Pomona. Danny, you're on
Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
Danny, Hey, David, how's doing Buddy? My question to you, actually,
I would like to see Tucker at fifth and the
reason is because if the guys get on base and
he can bring him home, I think it's a win
win situation. But what is your Who do you think
had the best lineup for the Dodgers' history? And I'll
take your call. I'll take your answer offline.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Thank you?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Okay? Well, that I mean I would have to take
a look at that and really examine it. The greatest
lineup in Dodger history, it would be certainly the seventy
seven Dodgers. The majority of those players that played on
the seven seventy seven to eighty one Dodgers, even the
team that ended up winning the World Series, to a man,
they all say the seventy seven Dodgers were the best.
(26:09):
You look at what the seventeen Dodgers were doing. They
may not have been what they became, but certainly they
were a prolific offense. You look at a lineup in
twenty twenty one that won one hundred and six games
with Trey Turner and Corey Seeger and Cody Bellinger and
Justin Turner in the slame lineup. Those three come to
mind off the top of my head, and I'm sorry,
(26:30):
I disagree with you. I understand driving in runs, but
you want to have Kyle Tucker hitting in your first three.
He's that type of guy. And like I said, you
don't pay him sixty million dollars if you believe he's
a five hitter. I'm sorry. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven,
two five seventy is the phone number. When we continue,
we'll check in with Andrew Friedman. Had a chance to
(26:52):
talk to him about Kyle Tucker and the signing and
where the Dodgers offense is headed this season as they
person z sue a three peat right here on a
five to seventy LA sports great pol callin ye. Everybody
wants to rule the baseball world, but the Dodgers have
(27:12):
ruled it for the last two seasons, back to back
World Series champions, going for history a three peat in LA.
It all starts as the Dodgers get ready for spring
training at Dodger Fest January thirty first, will be broadcasting
live from Dodgers Stadium at ten am, and you can
(27:36):
get tickets to be at Dodger Fest to celebrate your
back to back World Series champions at Dodgers dot com
slash Dodger Fest. Our next Dodger talk show is going
to be on Friday night at seven o'clock. Happens to
be my mom, Bianca's birthday. And since I am a
sentimental guy and I am still a loyal guide to
(27:59):
many of the Dodgers that have worn the uniform the
last fifteen years, especially that I've been lucky enough to
cover it, so happens that it's falling into place. They
always come crawling back. That's what I always say. They
always come crawling back. And look who's crawling back. He
was in Seami Valley this past weekend and reached out
(28:19):
to me wanting to come on the show, and that
is Mariachi Joe Kelly. That's right. They always come crawling back,
even from riverside. Joe Kelly is going to be on
the show Friday night, and also Chris Taylor, who will
get a world series ring from being part of this
(28:40):
Dodger team at the beginning of the year, finished it
injured with the Angels. He is going to have his
third annual Polar Plunge at the Manhattan Beach Pier on
February first, the day after Dodger Fest. So wanted to
give Chris Taylor some love. And there's actually a video
(29:00):
that former Dodger hitting coach Turner Ward posted today on
his Instagram behind the scenes look, and I posted this
on my Instagram story at officially vassay of Chris Taylor
kind of emulating Justin Turner's batting stance as Justin Turner
is getting ready for a game in the batting cage
(29:21):
and on the couch you see a young Cody Bellinger, who,
by the way, re signed with the Yankees today and
Jock Peterson walking by Jock now is with the Rangers.
So great to reconnect with Chris Taylor. He'll join us
on Friday night. And yes, my old friend of me,
Joe Kelly, will join us on Friday night as well.
(29:43):
So if you love those two guys, if you love
what Andrew Freeman has built and the players that he
has brought in, so many great personalities, so many winners
since twenty fifteen, and those are two of those guys.
So looking forward to having both of them on the
show Friday night. Speaking of Andrew Friedman, after we talked
(30:03):
to Kyle Tucker, Andrew Friedman sat down on the vast
a couch outside of the Dodger Clubhouse and here was
our conversation. All right, Andrew, another day, another big signing,
Kyle Tucker. When did this start to become something you
felt could really happen?
Speaker 8 (30:20):
Yeah, I mean, I think getting into the off season
and thinking about our roster, the needs, what the free
agent market looked like, what the trademarket looked like. Kyle
was at the top of the list in terms of
guy who could move our World Series odds most significantly.
That being said, you know, we had no real expectation
in terms of how realistic it was going to be,
(30:44):
because for us, it was about doing something short term.
We have a lot of long term contracts on the books,
and for us, it was about you know, being as
good as we could be right now with the core
that we have in place, but not adding more or
in a way that might really hinder us.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
In twenty twenty nine, twenty.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thirty, just looking out years to give us and keep
us with the most flexibility, because while we're doing everything
we can to win a championship in twenty twenty six,
we have to keep an eye to those out years.
And we've talked about it a lot over the years,
you know, to not fall off the proverbial cliff. We've
seen a lot of large market teams have a run
(31:25):
of success fall off the cliff and take years to
build back. So we're doing everything we can so for
us going into this winner, we were only looking at
shorter term deals and kind of pair as high end
to talent with the group we have right now to
do everything we can over the next couple of years
to not be flipping about the opportunity we have in
(31:48):
front of us with the group that we have in place,
but also not do so in an irresponsible way that
would come back to really hurt us later. So we
didn't really have a great sense for the likelihood of
that lining up.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
And I would.
Speaker 8 (32:05):
Say, you know, five six days before the signing is
when we felt like, okay, this has some shot. And
then Doc Gohmer and I got on a another zoom
call with Tuck and his wife Sam, and the conversation
got into the community and where to live, and you know,
our foundation and things we do in the community and
(32:27):
things they do in the community, and it got much
more detailed, nuanced in a way where I thought, we
do have a real shot at this. I can't remember
a situation where a guy has signed a shorter term,
higher AAV deal when he's also had a long term,
big money deal on the table. Usually it's because that
hasn't materialized and they signed the shorter term deal and
(32:51):
try to reset the market. And so obviously it's a
very personal decision, but for us, it was about putting
the organization, the community, the fan base, the group of
players we have, and the opportunity in front of us
and sell that as much as we possibly could, which
gets back to kind of our ultimate goal, which is
(33:12):
to create a destination spot where our own players don't
want to leave, where players from other organizations want to come.
And I think it really played a factor in a
real role with us recruiting Tuck here.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Yeah, this is not unique. You've offered this type of
shorter term contract with a higher AAV to a couple
of other players that opted, like you said, to take
a longer term contract. What does that say about what
you've created here where now players will sacrifice that type
of long term security to be a part of this team.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (33:46):
I mean, I think the way that the Dodgers organization,
our staff take care of players and families, I think
is getting around the league in a way where we've
had guys reach out, agents reach out and say, hey,
I know you haven't called, but our player would really
like to play there.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
And so we're feeling it way more over the last
three four years.
Speaker 8 (34:12):
And that's the ultimate because obviously winning is everything, but
you win by creating that environment, and by creating that environment,
you get your own players to want to stay, you
get players from other organizations wanting to join on, and
then that's how you know championships are won. And so
it's not something we'll ever take lightly and put our
(34:34):
feet up and say, Okay, we've done it. It's kind
of a living organism that you have to continue to
nurture and enhance. But I feel like we've made a
ton of progress on that front and it's something that
is very real and tangible and playing out in free agency.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
You were very honest and open about the fact that
the offense did not live up to what your standards were,
what you thought the ceiling was for that team, to say,
and half of the season and the postseason last year,
how much does Tucker change the dynamic of your entire
lineup and your offense.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
Yeah, I mean, I still think there's internal work we
need to do, because I do feel like from July
through the end of the regular season and into October,
we did not perform up to expectations. And obviously there's
some injury stuff and there's different factors that play into that,
but we also need to have our eyes wide open
(35:30):
and figure out ways we can get better. And I
think what's exciting about this group is that everyone's focused
on that.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
No one's pointing fingers, there's no blame, no.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
It's just about how can we do this together and
continue to get better. And obviously adding Kyle will help
in a meaningful way. He's the guy that you could
argue is better against left and right. It's at least
close elite decision maker, elite back to ballsk and just
(36:02):
putting that type of hitter in our lineup is going
to lengthen it in a crazy way. It's going to add,
you know, real impact throughout our lineup in terms of
how he chews up pitches, the fact that he really
doesn't swing and miss very often, so putting balls in
play and how that can help score runs.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
And I think the thing that kind of surprises a
little bit through our.
Speaker 8 (36:29):
Conversations with him this winter is how much he cares
about the little things and getting better. On the basis,
getting better defensively. You know, last year's defense slips some
now some of that is the number of day games
in Chicago, and that can kind of wreck havoc on
a lot of guys defensive numbers. But of challenging him
(36:52):
for the you know, to buy into the daily routine
that we see all of our guys do.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
He said he was all in on that.
Speaker 8 (37:01):
So I think just the value he can add defensively,
the fact that he's hungry for growth and to learn
more and to get better fits in very well within
our environment, and we're going to continue to work with him,
do everything we can to help make him better and
better and help us win more games.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
The guy you just described getting to know through this
free agency process doesn't seem to be the same guy
that a lot of people were speaking about anonymously, you
know in the shadows. What did you think about all
that and do you feel like he's been misrepresented?
Speaker 8 (37:37):
Yeah, I mean we obviously we spend a lot of
time on this talking to teammates and coaches and clubhouse
staff he's been around, and trainers and just trying to
understand him more. And I think, you know, he doesn't
have the most demonstrative personality. It's not the biggest personality,
and so I think his demeanor can be misconstrued. For us,
(38:01):
We've got enough personalities. For us, it's about how well
does he compete in the box, how hard does he work?
How much does he care about winning? And for us,
we felt like all those questions are really satisfied. His
you know, commitment to you know, doing that daily defensive routine,
which our guys do, we think speaks to that just
(38:26):
add attention to detail and the fact that if you
make it that important that you know, he's got the
physical ability to be good out there, and it's just
bringing that to life more obviously what he does in
the box. You know, he's got a routine that when
we acquired Freddy Freeman, people were like, oh, you know,
(38:48):
he just his pregame routine just isn't very elaborate.
Speaker 5 (38:53):
That's okay.
Speaker 8 (38:54):
Guys who are really good at what they do and
have a comfort with how they go about it. We're
not looking to change, and so it is a more
simple kind of pregame routine in terms of what he
needs to get ready. But we don't have a rule
of you have to do this. We have some guys
who hit, in my opinion, too much before a game,
(39:14):
and so for me, guys who hit too little before
a game. If they're going out and producing at seven o'clock, that's.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
Not too little.
Speaker 8 (39:21):
And I think it's just about whatever you need to
get ready to go out and compete and help us
win a baseball game. And we feel very good about that.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yea.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
That goes back to what everybody on your staff says.
We just let these guys be themselves, and that's what
allows all of it to come together, is being yourself.
Allowed Freddy Freeman to do the Worm more than twice
this obseason, and I thought it was ironic that he's
telling Kyle Tucker not to do anything stupid after seeing
(39:50):
the Worm. Where are you at on the Worm and
Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 8 (39:55):
I was incredibly impressed by it, setting aside my emotions
of how much I disliked it, and I can't wait
to see him do it every week when he's working
with us after he's done playing.
Speaker 5 (40:08):
Now I don't like it as much, but.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
On a scale of ten, it's gotta be a.
Speaker 5 (40:13):
Nine, right, it's solid.
Speaker 8 (40:15):
I mean, I may give it a nine and a half,
but anytime he does it until he retires, it's a zero.
Speaker 5 (40:21):
It's a disqualification. It's a zero. I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
I'm the only one that can do foolish things.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
Exactly, and we've got you. It's perfect. That's enough for us.
Speaker 3 (40:31):
Thanks a lot for the time, and I feel like
my hair can compete with Tuckers, no doubt.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
Yeah, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 8 (40:37):
I spent a little time during this interview looking at
it and kind of taking it in and the symmetry
it's impressive.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
We'll leave it right there. There's the great Andrew Friedman
looking for that three pete. No doubt, And yes, indeed,
thanks to my guy doctor Deutsch at Bosley, the symmetry
of the head and the lettuce is looking great. I'm
not ashamed. About it anyway. You know, everybody in the
media world, and rightfully so, talking Hall of Fame for
(41:06):
Dave Roberts. If you're saying Dave Roberts Hall of Famer
in the same breath, you better say Hall of Famer
Andrew Friedman, because you can't say Dave Roberts without Andrew Friedman,
and vice versa. You don't say Andrew Friedman without Dave Roberts.
They are together, right They're synonymous with each other. They're linked.
(41:28):
There's no changing that right now. They are linked. Unprecedented
success during their tenure of being partners in all this,
and the one word I remember when Andrew Friedman was
introduced taken over for Ned Colletti. He always talked about
a collaborative effort, and Dave Roberts and Andrew Freeman certainly
(41:49):
have had that. And I feel like it went to
another level during the twenty twenty season and during that
World Series. You know, being in that bubble, being in
select from the outside noise more than any other regular season,
feels like something changed in twenty twenty and it's just
(42:09):
been you know, they've been in lockstep ever since the
beginning of twenty twenty and they certainly have brought a
lot of success to the Dodgers. And speaking of the
Hall of Fame, we haven't been we haven't been on
since they elected Andrew Jones and Carlos Beltran into the
(42:33):
Hall of Fame. Let's start with Beltran. All these writers
are so against the Barry Bonds, the Mark mcguires, the
a Rods because they cheated the game. So I guess
we're just going to have amnesia, selective amnesia when it
comes to Carlos Beltran, who was one of, if not
(42:53):
the ringleader, of the Astros cheating scandal in twenty seventeen. Yes,
he was one of the great offensive center fielders in
baseball history over twenty years, even though he did play
twenty years and never accumulated three thousand hits or five
hundred home runs. But he did hit four hundred plus
(43:15):
home runs and had a lifetime batting average of close
to three hundred. But he still cheated. The Mets hired
him to be their manager, and when that came out,
they couldn't hire him anymore because he was tainted. Barry
Bonds made his teams better by trying to enhance his
(43:36):
body and his performance, and he never tested positive. For
all those that say he tested positive when he never
tested positive. So I have an issue with that. If
you're going to be on that side of history where
you're not going to vote for the Bonds, the Clemens,
(43:57):
the a Rods, how can you vote for Carlos Beltie
and Andrew Jones? Come on, come on? Really he was good,
but that doesn't mean he was a Hall of Famer.
I saw Andrew Jones play. He was really good, but
he wasn't a Hall of Famer, trust me. And he
(44:18):
cheated the game in some ways by not giving full
effort when he signed with the Dodgers. Remember that one year,
twenty million dollar contract I do. I mean that was
not one of Neck Coletti's best moments sonning Andrew Jones,
and that was that was you know, I'm not going
to say that, mates, it makes his career. But even
(44:40):
when he was with the Braves, I know his teammates
love him, but who doesn't love their teammates. He's not
a Hall of Famer. So I have a bigger issue
with Carlos Beltrend than I have with Andrew Jones, and
I kind of have an issue with both of them
in separate ways. I'm not a big haul guy. Baseball
has separated itself from the Basketball Hall of Fame and
(45:02):
also the Pro Football Hall of Fame by really making
it the Hall of Fame. And even in the Hall
of Fame itself, there's different levels of Hall of Famers,
but it feels like the standard has been lowered, and
everybody tries to, you know, with time and statistics and analytics,
trying to make a case and a reason for why
(45:23):
somebody should be in there, and it's never consistent. If
you're talking about a six year peak, is that really
a Hall of Fame career? I don't buy into that.
Sandy coach I hate when people bring up Sandy Kofex.
He's an outlier. Of course, he was one of the
greatest pitchers of all time, even in a short span.
But that's not the case with everybody else. And also
(45:46):
the guys that played twenty years, you should be able
to get five hundred home runs and three thousand hits.
Baltrand played twenty years, cheated and never got those numbers.
And oh, by the way, telling me in twenty seventeen
when he came up with this idea and how to
bang the trash cans and use the video to their advantage.
(46:08):
You're telling me Carlos Beltrand never did something out of
bounds with other teams to steal signs. Hard to believe.
Hard to believe. How can he not be allowed to
manage in Major League Baseball? But then you're going to
elect him into the Hall of Fame. To me, it's
a huge contradiction. And honestly, I don't get that worked
(46:32):
up anymore about the Hall of Fame. I think it's
been so watered down and there's been so many contradictions
that it doesn't mean as much as it used to.
It may not mean anything to me until some of
these Dodgers and some of these players of this generation
are eligible for the Hall of Fame. And I'm not
just saying Dodger players, but players from this generation. And
(46:55):
maybe it starts next year with Buster Posey, of all people,
he's going to be on the ballot for the first time,
and also Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochi are going to
be eligible in a committee vote. So I hate to
break this to you Dodger fans, you may have a
trio of giants inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
(47:18):
Two managers and a Hall of Fame catcher and Buster Posey.
All right, that'll do it for us on Dodger Talk tonight.
We'll be back with you on Friday night at seven o'clock.
Mariachi Joe Kelly will join us, as will Chris Taylor.
Thanks to Kyle Tucker and Andrew Friedman for their time today.
Thanks to the La Breakfast Club for having me up
(47:40):
earlier than I ever have been in a very long time.
That's good training for spring training. I have to wake
up early for spring training, So thank you to the
La Wacky Breakfast Club, and thanks to Colinie for all
his help, and thank you for listening. In case you
missed any of the show or interviews with Tucker and Friedman,
you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. You can
(48:02):
also follow me on social media on x at the
Real Underscore DV and on Instagram at Officially vass A.
Cody Bellinger stays with the Yankees, Kyle Tucker is officially
a Dodger, and Freddie Peralta traded to the Mets. As
the baseball world turns sounds like a great sport to me.
(48:23):
Don't let anybody tell you anything different have a great
rest of your night. See you
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