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Speaker 1: This is off season Dodger Talk.

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Speaker 2: Get in on the show by calling eight six six.

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Speaker 3: Hashtag Dodger Talk and now your host, David Masse, we

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Speaker 3: have breaking news. Jeff Passen has just tweeted and reported

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Speaker 3: that it is the Dodgers that have signed Kyle Tucker. Yes,

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker reportedly is signing with the Dodgers on a

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Speaker 3: short term deal. I have a few texts out there

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Speaker 3: to some of my sources with the Dodgers to see

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Speaker 3: if they can tell us how many years exactly. But

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Speaker 3: Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, tweeted out about an hour

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Speaker 3: plus ago, let me know when you see the white smoke. Well,

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Speaker 3: the white smoke is out. And Kyle Tucker has chosen

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers, just like sho Hao Tani chose the Dodgers,

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Speaker 3: just like Yoshinobu Yama Moto chose the Dodgers, and us

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Speaker 3: like Freddie Freeman chose the Dodgers among others, just like

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Speaker 3: Blake Snell chose the Dodgers' last off season. So the

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Speaker 3: Dodgers take Edwin Diaz from the Mets, and in some

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Speaker 3: form or fashion, in some ways, you could say they

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Speaker 3: have taken Kyle Tucker from the Mets, Edwin Diaz and

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker, Andrew Friedman, Mark Walter have signed. They've been aggressive.

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Speaker 3: They do not care about one hundred and ten percent

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Speaker 3: tax on every dollar that they sign. They have gone

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Speaker 3: out and signed Kyle Tucker. And we are with you

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Speaker 3: until eight o'clock tonight. Here on a five to seventy

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Speaker 3: LA Sports, I had to say, Mark DeRosa, I'm sorry.

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Speaker 3: We'll have you on the show on Monday night at

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Speaker 3: seven o'clock. That's our next Dodger talk show. But tonight

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Speaker 3: with Jeff Passing tweeting this two minutes before we took

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Speaker 3: the air, it is all Kyle Tucker. It is all you,

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Speaker 3: Los Angeles. The Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker. Phone lines

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Speaker 3: are open right now. At eight six six nine to

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Speaker 3: eight seven two five seventy we are going to be

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Speaker 3: joined by one of Kyle Tucker's future teammates, the one

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Speaker 3: and only Dalton Rushing is going to join us. At

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Speaker 3: seven point thirty, we'll get his live reaction to the

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Speaker 3: news that Kyle Tucker has joined the Dodgers. And you

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Speaker 3: look at what Andrew Friedman set out to do. He

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Speaker 3: made no secrets about it. He wanted to make the

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Speaker 3: Dodger offense better than it was the second half of

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Speaker 3: the year and into the postseason. The Dodger offense was

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Speaker 3: not good from June on including October. If it wasn't

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Speaker 3: for the Dodgers pitching and some timely hitting and some

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Speaker 3: great defensive plays, the Dodgers many times would have been

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Speaker 3: eliminated even before they got to the World Series, and

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Speaker 3: a few times in Game six in Game seven, they

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Speaker 3: would have been eliminated from the World Series. Another layer

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Speaker 3: to this is it's a short term contract. Kyle Tucker

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Speaker 3: is twenty eight years old, and when you hear reports

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Speaker 3: that the Blue Jays were offering ten years, three hundred

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Speaker 3: million dollars, and then the Mets got aggressive in a

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Speaker 3: different way where they were offering four years, two hundred

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Speaker 3: million dollars, which averaged out to about fifty million dollars

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Speaker 3: a year. If you're Kyle Tucker and you don't believe

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Speaker 3: that five years from now that you can make another

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Speaker 3: at least one hundred million dollars, this next four years

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Speaker 3: five years would not have been good for you. So

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Speaker 3: he can hit the open market. If this is a

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Speaker 3: thirty four year contract, he can hit the market again

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Speaker 3: at thirty two years old and make even more money.

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Speaker 3: And you know, for the Dodgers, they're not committing too

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Speaker 3: many years. They are committing just enough to feel comfortable

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Speaker 3: with Kyle Tucker. And I know many people were talking

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Speaker 3: about his down year with the Cubs. I gotta tell you,

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Speaker 3: Cody Bellinger told me it's tough for a left handed

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Speaker 3: hitter to hit at Wrigley Field, especially the first three

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Speaker 3: months of the season. And in twenty twenty four he

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Speaker 3: only played seventy eight games, but that's because he felled

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Speaker 3: a ball off his shin and broke his shins. So

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Speaker 3: those freak things happened, no soft tissue injuries. So Kyle

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Speaker 3: Tucker when he was with the Astros was one of

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Speaker 3: the best hitting outfielders in baseball. And that's the reason

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Speaker 3: why the Dodgers and many or the teams that could

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Speaker 3: afford him were interested. Eight six six nine eight seven

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Speaker 3: two five seventy is the phone number the Dodgers, reportedly,

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Speaker 3: according to Jeff pass And, have signed Kyle Tucker. No

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Speaker 3: word on the contract details, but we are getting reports

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Speaker 3: that it is a short term contract. And if you

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Speaker 3: look at the potential opening day lineup, for the Dodgers,

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Speaker 3: I'm just going to include Tommy Edmond as healthy, doubtful

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Speaker 3: that he will be ready for opening day. But you

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Speaker 3: have Sho Heo, Tani, Mookie Bets, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith,

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker, Taoscar Hernandez, Max Munsey, Tommy Edmund and any

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Speaker 3: form or fashion and Andy Pajes. You got Andy Pajes

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Speaker 3: in this lineup. So the Dodger outfield now ta Oscar

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Speaker 3: Hernandez and left Pajz and center, Kyle Tucker in right field.

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Speaker 3: And hold it. If you're saying the Dodgers are going

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Speaker 3: to try Taoscar Hernandez, now I would pump the brakes

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Speaker 3: on that. I would not. I would venture to say

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Speaker 3: keep Teoscar Hernandez. We also have some other news as

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Speaker 3: well that Jeff Passen reported, I mean rapid fire from

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Speaker 3: passing right before Dodger talk started. There is a three

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Speaker 3: team trade that has been completed between the Rays, the Reds,

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Speaker 3: and the Angels. Former Dodger Gavin Lux is part of

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Speaker 3: this trade. Gavin Lux is headed to the Tampa Bay Rays,

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Speaker 3: Josh Lowe is headed to the Angels, and brock Burke,

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Speaker 3: left handed reliever, is headed to the Reds. But the

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Speaker 3: biggest news now is Kyle Tucker reportedly has signed with

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers. Eight six six nine eight seven two five

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Speaker 3: seventy is the phone number. I just have confirmation now

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Speaker 3: from an extremely good source with the Dodgers on the

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Speaker 3: length of this contract for Kyle Tucker. It's a four

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Speaker 3: year contract with opt outs after year two, two and

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Speaker 3: year three. There you go, breaking news. I am breaking

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Speaker 3: that news right now. The contract details for Kyle Tucker.

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Speaker 3: A four year contract with opt outs after year two

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Speaker 3: and year three. You are hearing that right now on

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Speaker 3: Dodgers Radio AM five to seventy LA Sports. We're gonna

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Speaker 3: take a time out. When we come back your phone calls,

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Speaker 3: we have lines open. The Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker

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Speaker 3: to a four year contract eight six six nine eight

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Speaker 3: seven two five seventy David Vasse, great timing on this

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Speaker 3: beautiful Thursday night in the city of Angels on a

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Speaker 3: five to seventy LA Sports. I can confirm it is

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Speaker 3: a four year contract with opt outs after year two

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Speaker 3: and year three. Kyle Tucker's four year contract is worth

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Speaker 3: two one hundred and forty million dollars to Jeff Passing,

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Speaker 3: I can do math once in a while. When the

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Speaker 3: numbers are that big, I need a little help. Sixty

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Speaker 3: million dollars an annual average salary. The Mets were reportedly

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Speaker 3: offering fifty million dollars for four years. The Dodgers have

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Speaker 3: now topped Steve Cohen with four years and sixty million

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Speaker 3: dollars opt outs after years two and year four. We

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Speaker 3: have learned eight sixty six nine to eighty seven two

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Speaker 3: five seventy is the phone number. Nobody has reported the

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Speaker 3: fact that the Dodgers and excuse me Tucker has optouts

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Speaker 3: after year two and year three. Nobody has reported that.

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Speaker 3: But that is fact, according to my very good sources

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Speaker 3: with the Dodgers, that I got a green light to

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Speaker 3: report here on Dodger Talk tonight. Eight six six nine

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Speaker 3: eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. Let's

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Speaker 3: go out to Corona, Ronnie. You're on Dodger Talk with

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Speaker 3: David Massey. Ronnie, did this does this blow your mind?

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Speaker 3: I mean, the Dodgers just don't stop, and I mean

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Speaker 3: this is the greatest Aaron Dodger baseball and they just

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Speaker 3: make it better.

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Speaker 4: How you doing, DV, I'm doing great, I said, Let's

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Speaker 4: keep ruining baseball, right.

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Speaker 3: Yes, let's keep ruining baseball. Look, uh, if the Mets

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Speaker 3: wanted Tucker, they could have gone to sixty million dollars.

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Speaker 3: The Dodgers said, you know what, We'll take your fifty

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Speaker 3: and we'll add ten more.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, what a great day it is for Dodger fans.

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Speaker 4: I mean, just hearing the announcement a few minutes ago,

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Speaker 4: so exciting. And I cannot wait to see this team,

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Speaker 4: this lineup, it's amazing. I'm just so excited, no doubt.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it is such a deep lineup and there

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Speaker 3: is no reason to trade anybody this year. Let's the

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Speaker 3: Dodgers are intent on trying to make this a three peat.

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Speaker 3: And I think this. I believe this is a perfect

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Speaker 3: fit for Kyle Tucker because if he goes to the Mets,

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Speaker 3: the New York pressure cooker is going to crush him.

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Speaker 3: There's going to be a lot of expectations. They're going

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Speaker 3: to compare him to Soto, to uh to Otani. If

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Speaker 3: he were to get this fifty million dollar contract with

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers, He's one of six seven stars on this team.

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Speaker 3: Do I believe Tucker's elite? No, I don't believe he's elite.

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Speaker 3: I don't when you talk about elite, you're talking about

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Speaker 3: Otanijan Soto type guys. You're talking about Trek Scougle, Paul

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Speaker 3: Sken's type of guy. But he's very, very good and

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Speaker 3: he is going to be even better with the Dodgers,

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Speaker 3: and you know being in this lineup will make him better.

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Speaker 3: And like I mentioned earlier in the show, people are

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Speaker 3: trying to poke holes, and that's what happens in these situations.

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Speaker 3: You try to poke holes in a guy's game. The

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Speaker 3: reality is being a left handed hitter at Wrigley Field

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Speaker 3: is not easy. And you look at Cody Bellinger's numbers

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Speaker 3: a couple of years ago compared to what they were

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Speaker 3: last year at Yankee Stadium night and day, home and road,

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Speaker 3: night and day. You look at twenty twenty four, the

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Speaker 3: guy filed a ball off his shin, broke his shin.

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Speaker 3: Freak accident, it happens. But prior to that he was

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Speaker 3: one of the best hitting outfielders and many people were

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Speaker 3: counting down to when he was going to be a

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Speaker 3: free agent. The one thing, you know, I'm not just

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Speaker 3: gonna be here like being a Homer. The one thing

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Speaker 3: is Kyle Tucker still has something to prove in the playoffs.

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Speaker 3: He's a two thirty three playoff hitter. He hit one

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Speaker 3: ninety in the twenty two World Series. But he doesn't

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Speaker 3: have to carry the Dodgers. He just needs to be

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Speaker 3: a piece of the Dodgers. Eight six six nine, eight

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Speaker 3: seven two five seventy is the phone number. Kyle Tucker

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Speaker 3: is a Dodger. Let's go out to Aaron in San Diego.

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Speaker 3: You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Aaron?

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Speaker 2: Great?

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Speaker 1: Dave?

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Speaker 2: How are you?

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Speaker 3: I'm doing great? I mean they signed Kyle Tucker and

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Speaker 3: ta Oscar Hernandez will be moving to left field.

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Speaker 5: All right, Well, hey, uh, I don't know if he

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Speaker 5: mentioned it to you earlier. I'm the guy who ran

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Speaker 5: into Dulton, Russian and uh down in Mexico this weekend.

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Speaker 5: But my question is how is this going to affect

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Speaker 5: second base? Obviously Edmunds had has his challenges with his

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Speaker 5: injuries and and we don't have a firm solution there.

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Speaker 5: But what I mean, what is gonna be that that

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Speaker 5: solution going forward? And also going back to Dalton. I

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Speaker 5: know the Dodgers, you know, obviously adults have worked him

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Speaker 5: out and trying to get him into the outfields, get

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Speaker 5: more at that.

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Speaker 6: Where you know, how.

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Speaker 5: Does this affect the young guys and the prospects coming

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Speaker 5: up and the second base problem that we have.

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Speaker 3: Well, I don't believe the Dodgers have a second base problem.

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Speaker 3: Tommy Edman was trying to play on this bad ankle

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Speaker 3: for the last two years. He finally had surgery on it.

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Speaker 3: So he may not be starting the season at second base,

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Speaker 3: but he's going to play a lot of second base.

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Speaker 3: And oh, by the way, is a goal glover at

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Speaker 3: second base three years ago with the Cardinals. So once

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Speaker 3: he comes back, he's gonna play second base. He is

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Speaker 3: going to kick out to the outfield whenever you need

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Speaker 3: to give Andy pae As a breather. His son Cam

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Speaker 3: is part of that second base equation. Miguel Rojas is

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Speaker 3: part of that second base equation. The Dodgers signed this

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Speaker 3: kid from the Tigers, Andy Abanyez, who's really good defensively,

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Speaker 3: so they are they have more than enough guys to

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Speaker 3: cover the beginning of the season without Edmund, And when

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Speaker 3: Edmund comes back, you got a really good second basement

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Speaker 3: goal glove caliber that can also play third base. If

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Speaker 3: Monthcy for whatever reason gets injured, and so Canabanyaes. I

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Speaker 3: don't believe there's any problems right now with the Dodgers, Aeron,

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Speaker 3: It's as far as the young guys go. Rushing is

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers backup catcher and is going to play a

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Speaker 3: lot of first base this year to give Freddy Freeman

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Speaker 3: days off. He's thirty seven going on thirty eight. So

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Speaker 3: Rushing looked very comfortable at first base last year.

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Speaker 5: Okay, all right, all right, sounds great. I appreciate it.

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Speaker 3: Be all right, Eron, thank you for the phone call.

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Speaker 3: We'll see if Rushing remembers you. Let's go out to

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Speaker 3: Culver City. Saul, you're on Dodger Dog. How excited are

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Speaker 3: you that, Kyle Tucker? After all, this is a Dodger.

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Speaker 6: Not really excited.

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Speaker 7: I actually think it's the Dodgers sitting the standard here

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Speaker 7: in LA. Actually, I think every franchise, as a professional

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Speaker 7: franchise in Los Angeles doesn't compete with their league. They

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Speaker 7: compete with the Dodgers. And what they're showing right now

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Speaker 7: is that they're not letting things stand still. They're progressing.

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Speaker 7: They're doing everything they can to stay on top. They're

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Speaker 7: showing MLB that they are the standard. They're showing La

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Speaker 7: that if you want to be great and you want

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Speaker 7: to be noticed, do what the Dodgers do. I don't

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Speaker 7: have a problem in signing Kyle Tucker. I think it's

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Speaker 7: a similar contract to what they did for Bryce Harper.

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Speaker 7: I love it.

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Speaker 6: I don't care about the price.

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Speaker 7: The opt outs are great because he doesn't have the

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Speaker 7: focal point of the offense Cherry the Dodgers the way

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Speaker 7: Gavin looks at a few years ago. You don't have

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Speaker 7: to do it all the time. Just come in, do

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Speaker 7: your part, and we'll be happy with that.

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Speaker 3: All right, Saul, thank you for the phone call. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: great memory. This seems similar to what the Dodgers offered

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Speaker 3: Bryce Harper before he eventually signed with the Phillies back

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Speaker 3: in what twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen. I'm not sure it

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Speaker 3: was sixty million dollars a year, but it was a

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Speaker 3: huge annual average salary. So the Dodgers have been down

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Speaker 3: this road before. And the Dodgers also don't give out

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Speaker 3: no trade clauses, but they do include opt out clauses,

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Speaker 3: and as I reported earlier in the show, the Dodgers

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Speaker 3: have given Tucker and opt out after year two and

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Speaker 3: year three of this contract. Tucker is going to turn

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Speaker 3: twenty nine years old in two days. So if he

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Speaker 3: decides that, you know what, I've blown up with the Dodgers,

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Speaker 3: I could hit the open market again and make even

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Speaker 3: more double down. I can opt out after two years.

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Speaker 3: So that's beneficial to him, and it's beneficial to the

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Speaker 3: Dodgers if things don't work out the way that they

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Speaker 3: envision with Kyle Tucker. They're only stuck with him for

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Speaker 3: four years, and the Dodgers have been able to carry

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Speaker 3: dead weight of Carl Crawford and other players and have

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Speaker 3: found a way to continue to win. So a four

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Speaker 3: year contract if it doesn't go so well, I think

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers are one of those teams that can absorb it.

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Speaker 3: But this is going to be a breath of fresh

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Speaker 3: air for Kyle Tucker. He's getting out of Wrigley Field,

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Speaker 3: which is not friendly by any means to left handed hitters.

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Speaker 3: And Kyle Tucker just has to be a piece to

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Speaker 3: the Dodger offense, which struggled the second half of last

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Speaker 3: season and into the postseason. So you're looking at a

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Speaker 3: guy that is a upgrade defensively in your outfield you're

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Speaker 3: moving ta Oscar Hernandez to left field, where it will

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Speaker 3: be an upgrade from what we saw in right field

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Speaker 3: from Taoscar Hernandez, and you're giving Andy Pajez a second

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Speaker 3: full year in center field. My only question is the

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Speaker 3: Dodgers may be starting to get a little full with pitching.

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Speaker 3: I know we always talk about how you don't have

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Speaker 3: enough pitching. Are the Dodgers getting a little full on

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Speaker 3: their forty man roster with some of these pitchers coming

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Speaker 3: back and having guys that are still healthy and Bobby

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Speaker 3: Miller and Landon Neck. I thought if the Dodgers didn't

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Speaker 3: sign Kyle Tucker, there was a great chance they were

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Speaker 3: going to make a trade for a guy like Lars

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Speaker 3: now Bar or Brendan Donovan to try to, you know,

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Speaker 3: entice the Cardinals with more pitching. Maybe they do, maybe

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Speaker 3: they don't. Maybe there's another trade. Like we always talk

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Speaker 3: about Andrew Friedman, Sin's taking over the Dodgers, it's kind

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Speaker 3: of a cloud situation. One move is connected to another.

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Speaker 3: Feels like there's still more to come from the Dodgers

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Speaker 3: than just signing Kyle Tucker eight six six nine eight

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Speaker 3: seven two five seventy is the phone number. Let's go

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Speaker 3: out to Hacienda Heights. Robert, You're on Dodger Talk on

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Speaker 3: the night that Kyle Tucker chooses the Dodgers.

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Speaker 2: Hi, Dave, thanks for kiping my call. Appreciate it, longtime.

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Speaker 6: Sam.

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Speaker 2: I just wanted to know, with the signing of Tucker

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Speaker 2: coming in, what does that mean for Ryan Ward, the

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Speaker 2: guy from Tripoli that they called up and put on

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Speaker 2: the fifty man roster. Are they not gonna caepe a

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Speaker 2: hold of him? Are they gonna send him back down?

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Speaker 2: And you know, does that mean any other changes besides

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Speaker 2: possibly tay Oscar moving or even Pies.

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Speaker 3: Look, I don't believe the Dodgers are trading Paz. I

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Speaker 3: really don't, but I wouldn't rule out another move from

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Speaker 3: Andrew Freeman as far as the trade goes, and as

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Speaker 3: far as Ryan Ward goes. He's twenty eight years old,

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Speaker 3: he's coming off his best professional season. It doesn't look

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Speaker 3: like he's going to get an everyday opportunity with the Dodgers.

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Speaker 3: There's a lot of teams out there that would have

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Speaker 3: jumped on Ryan Ward if he was non tendered. So

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Speaker 3: I could see the Dodgers going into spring training with

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Speaker 3: Ryan Ward I could see the Dodgers trading Ryan Ward

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Speaker 3: before spring training. I could also see Ryan Ward being

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Speaker 3: a depth piece for the Dodgers during the season, because,

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Speaker 3: as we have seen, injuries do happen, and you have

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Speaker 3: a guy like Ryan Ward that you can call up

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Speaker 3: off your forty man roster. That's not too bad.

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Speaker 2: Not bad at all. Thank you so much for taking

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Speaker 2: my call, sir.

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Speaker 1: Have a great night.

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Speaker 3: Hey, thanks for listening. Robert Los Angeles should be excited.

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Speaker 3: The Dodgers are the premier team in North American sports,

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Speaker 3: certainly the premier team in this city that is full

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Speaker 3: of stars, and the Dodgers added another star tonight in

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker. In case you're joining us late, the Dodgers

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Speaker 3: have come to an agreement with Kyle Tucker for a

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Speaker 3: four year contract that is an annual average salary of

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Speaker 3: sixty million dollars. He has an opt out after year

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Speaker 3: two and year three. But Kyle Tucker tonight has chosen

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Speaker 3: the Dodgers. And oh, by the way, Kyle Tucker's agent,

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Speaker 3: Casey Close, who all also represented Clayton Kershaw eight six

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Speaker 3: six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone

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Speaker 3: number let's go out to Santa Monica. Evan, You're on

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Speaker 3: Dodger Talk with David Vasse. How you doing, Evan.

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Speaker 8: I'm so happy, Dave. As soon as I heard the news,

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Speaker 8: I just couldn't believe it. And then what was even

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Speaker 8: crazier was that Dodger Talk was on. Just given all

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Speaker 8: of the love to all of Los Angeles for this

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Speaker 8: historic day. It's one of the greatest signings I think

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Speaker 8: I've ever seen the Dodgers have during the offseason because

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Speaker 8: it just makes this team unstoppable. One through nine. We

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Speaker 8: can't be Who are you going to pitch around? And Dave,

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Speaker 8: I want to know where do you think Kyle's going

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Speaker 8: to bat in the order?

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Speaker 3: That's a great question, you know. I believe that Mookie

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Speaker 3: Betts and Teoscar Hernandez have something to prove, and nobody

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Speaker 3: is guaranteed a spot in the lineup as far as

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Speaker 3: I'm concern outside of sho Heyo Tani and even to

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Speaker 3: a certain extent, Otani equis to try to get Mooki

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Speaker 3: going last year, move down to leadoff spot to hit

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Speaker 3: behind him. Freddie moved between second, third and fourth. So

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Speaker 3: if Mooki Betts is a two sixty hitter to begin

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Speaker 3: this year. I feel like you're gonna have Will Smith

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Speaker 3: hitting second, and you're gonna have Kyle Tucker hitting you know,

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Speaker 3: between third and and fifth. I really do. I think

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Speaker 3: that's where this is going to land.

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Speaker 8: It's unbelievable. Just the rich get richer and the three

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Speaker 8: peats on its way.

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Speaker 7: Daves, let's go.

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Speaker 3: Let's go. What a night? What a night? In January

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Speaker 3: eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is

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Speaker 3: the phone number. I know we're all very excited about

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker's sunning with the Dodgers, but man, this took

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Speaker 3: a long time. Come on, Tucker, you should have made

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Speaker 3: this choice a lot sooner than what you did. Uh

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Speaker 3: felt like we were we were on Otani Watch, and

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Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker's a really good player. But he's not Otani.

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Speaker 3: He's not one soo. But in this Dodger lineup, he

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Speaker 3: may have the best years of his career. Let's go

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Speaker 3: out to Uh, Jamie in Rosemead, You're on Dodger Talk

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Speaker 3: with David Vasse. How you doing, Jamie?

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Speaker 9: Good?

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Speaker 3: David, how are you fantastic? Great timing for the show.

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Speaker 6: Hey, I'm just I'm just worried about Kik. I mean

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Speaker 6: it's I mean just his energy and and and just

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Speaker 6: what he brings to the Dodgers, and and I mean

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Speaker 6: that heartbeat, you know. I mean, how's he gonna fit.

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Speaker 3: In key A? Hernandez can't play until the second half

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Speaker 3: of the year, Jamie, he had elbow surgery. So, uh,

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Speaker 3: he's he's a factor in the second half of the season.

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Speaker 3: He understands that. I don't believe the sonning of Tucker

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Speaker 3: changes any of that.

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Speaker 6: I mean, Okay, well, good to know, good to know, man,

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Speaker 6: because he's, uh, he's just he's a ball of energy.

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Speaker 6: So it'd be great to have him, you know, just

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Speaker 6: uh everywhere you know, third chart, he plays all over

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Speaker 6: the place. Man, He's just a he's a he's a

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Speaker 6: he's a he's a unique piece of that that uh

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Speaker 6: Dodger Dodger team.

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Speaker 3: No doubt, Jamie. He's been a big part of the

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Speaker 3: back to back World Series championships. And more importantly than

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Speaker 3: being a ball of energy, the guy's really good. In

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Speaker 3: October eight six, six, nine, eight seven, two five seventy

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Speaker 3: is the phone number we got to take a time

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Speaker 3: out here on Dodger Talk. We are going to hear

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Speaker 3: from a current Dodger player. Coming up next, Dodger catcher

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Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing is going to give us his live reaction

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Speaker 3: to Kyle Tucker signing with the Dodgers. This is Dodger Talk.

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Speaker 3: This is where you get breaking Dodgers news and the

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Speaker 3: insights behind the deals. Kyle Tucker is a Dodger on

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Speaker 3: a F five to seventy LA sports four year contract.

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Speaker 3: As we reported earlier in the show, he has an

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Speaker 3: opt out after years two and years three. I feel

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Speaker 3: like he might be taking our next guest out to

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Speaker 3: many dinners, and if he doesn't, he's gonna have to

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Speaker 3: answer to me. We are joined right now by one

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Speaker 3: of my favorite people, a man that made himself known

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Speaker 3: to Major League Baseball making his major league debut so

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Speaker 3: many first last year for Dalton Rushing can't wait for

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Speaker 3: his sophomore season with the Dodgers and he will have

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Speaker 3: a new teammate and Kyle Tucker. Dalton Rushing, welcome the

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Speaker 3: Dodger Talk. How you doing.

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Speaker 1: I'm doing good. Good to hear from you that.

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Speaker 3: Hey, this is great timing. We set this up a

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Speaker 3: while ago and it's the night that Kyle Tucker signs

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Speaker 3: with the Dodgers.

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Speaker 1: I wasn't expecting that, almost like you knew something.

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Speaker 3: Man, how much I don't know. How much do you

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Speaker 3: guys talk about these things amongst each other, about whether

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Speaker 3: or not a guy like Tucker may sign with you

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Speaker 3: or is it just something that you sit back and

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Speaker 3: watch and wait and see.

432
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's I think it's kind of cool

433
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: to just watch it unfold. Obviously, free agency for any

434
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:10,760
Speaker 1: players an exciting time, also hectic, but yeah, I mean,

435
00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,119
Speaker 1: it pops up tonight and you see it and you

436
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,360
Speaker 1: want to be surprised. But at the same time, it's

437
00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,440
Speaker 1: every team tries to win a World Series every year,

438
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,639
Speaker 1: and Dodgers are willing to do whatever.

439
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,760
Speaker 3: What was it like for you last year being part

440
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,800
Speaker 3: of this team that obviously has a World Series on

441
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,879
Speaker 3: their minds when they report to spring training. For you

442
00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,040
Speaker 3: to get the call in the middle of the season

443
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,199
Speaker 3: and to have big hits for this team and to

444
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,360
Speaker 3: be there, you know, for and be a big part

445
00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,360
Speaker 3: of it. What was it like your first full season?

446
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,920
Speaker 1: It was good. Overall. The main goal with any team

447
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,680
Speaker 1: you ever played for it that level is going to

448
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,640
Speaker 1: win a World Series and so on that side, very successful.

449
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,280
Speaker 1: It was an unbelievable group. I think, I would say,

450
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 1: obviously from looking in beforehand, you get to play with

451
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:08,240
Speaker 1: some of the best players in baseball still, and I

452
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,880
Speaker 1: think that itself is a huge privilege for young guys,

453
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,720
Speaker 1: especially your rookie year, to see the things that I saw,

454
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,200
Speaker 1: learn the things that I did with Like I said,

455
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:19,119
Speaker 1: the guys surrounding me.

456
00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,919
Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing is joining us tonight on Dodger Talk and

457
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,800
Speaker 3: Dalton just thinking back to your season, People ask me

458
00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,440
Speaker 3: all the time about my favorite moment of the year

459
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,919
Speaker 3: of the World Series. But if somebody were to ask

460
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,520
Speaker 3: me about my favorite Dalton Rushing moment of the season

461
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,560
Speaker 3: last year, was your game in San Diego where you

462
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:46,439
Speaker 3: had a huge home run against the Padres on that

463
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,600
Speaker 3: day game to kind of remind the Padres that you

464
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,119
Speaker 3: guys are still here and at that time the race

465
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:56,600
Speaker 3: was really close. When you think back to your season

466
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,840
Speaker 3: last year, is that one of the games one of

467
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:01,520
Speaker 3: the moments that sticks out to you?

468
00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:09,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would say that was for sure. I wouldn't

469
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,320
Speaker 1: say the highlight. Obviously, you win the World Series, that's

470
00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:13,919
Speaker 1: your highlight. But for me, it was kind of a

471
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,160
Speaker 1: moment of things weren't going my way for a little bit,

472
00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 1: and so you kind of you fill your team around you,

473
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,840
Speaker 1: support you, and you do something like that. But like

474
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,280
Speaker 1: you said, it was a big game for that time

475
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:29,720
Speaker 1: of the year. But I just I was glad that

476
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,760
Speaker 1: I was able to help the team win on that

477
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:37,000
Speaker 1: Sunday Day game and allow us to do the things

478
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 1: that we did later in the year.

479
00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:42,920
Speaker 3: Regardless, when did you start to settle into the season

480
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:44,440
Speaker 3: once you got called up.

481
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like the guys did a really good

482
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:54,280
Speaker 1: job of making you feel pretty at home early on.

483
00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:59,400
Speaker 1: It doesn't really feel as I guess uptight as people

484
00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:01,800
Speaker 1: would think the outside as far as being a rookie

485
00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 1: on a team like that, I think it's the Dodgers

486
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,880
Speaker 1: just do a good job of surrounding you with good people,

487
00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,000
Speaker 1: good resources, and comes with that as some of the

488
00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:16,080
Speaker 1: best players in the world. So yeah, it's it wasn't

489
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:17,920
Speaker 1: too bad to kind of like feel like I was

490
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,520
Speaker 1: a part of the guys very soon if you guys

491
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,080
Speaker 1: took me under their wing and just kind of allowed

492
00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,680
Speaker 1: me to learn as much as I could for being

493
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 1: in the position and playing the role that I played.

494
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,560
Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing is our guest on Dodger talk. It's the

495
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,680
Speaker 3: night that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a four

496
00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,000
Speaker 3: year contract, and you know, going back all the way

497
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,960
Speaker 3: back to November, Brandon Gomes was talking about how the

498
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,640
Speaker 3: Dodgers wanted to get you more at bats this upcoming season.

499
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:52,960
Speaker 3: He even mentioned the possibility of you getting some reps

500
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,440
Speaker 3: in the outfield. I guess that's over with now, Dalton.

501
00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,920
Speaker 3: They signed Kyle Tucker. Did you ever did you ever

502
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,680
Speaker 3: pick up your outfield glove again this offseason?

503
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've just kind of tried to go at this

504
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,880
Speaker 1: offseason with the attack plan of basically being available for

505
00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:16,800
Speaker 1: whatever options that I can play, and playing a little

506
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:18,680
Speaker 1: bit of left field that I played in twenty four

507
00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,280
Speaker 1: gave me the idea that I think I could do

508
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,719
Speaker 1: it at a decent level at least being a catcher.

509
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:29,960
Speaker 1: So I've kind of prepared my body for any outcome

510
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:31,760
Speaker 1: or whatever they may need out of me.

511
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 3: You seem pretty comfortable at first base last year. How

512
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:39,440
Speaker 3: did that happen so seamlessly?

513
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was so. I played a lot of first

514
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 1: base in college. I actually played majority first base my

515
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,600
Speaker 1: first two years in college before the final season in

516
00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:54,719
Speaker 1: twenty two, So I had a little experience there obviously,

517
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,640
Speaker 1: never at this level. I played a handful of games

518
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,959
Speaker 1: throughout the miners there, so it was a completely foreign

519
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,120
Speaker 1: but they for sure kind of pushed me on that

520
00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,840
Speaker 1: side of the ball, just trying to stay as clean

521
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:08,560
Speaker 1: as possible.

522
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,680
Speaker 3: Do you feel pretty comfortable at first space.

523
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:16,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, of course. I mean it's like I said, I've

524
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,840
Speaker 1: played at plenty, so I have the I guess you

525
00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:21,800
Speaker 1: could say I have the trust in myself over there

526
00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:24,560
Speaker 1: to go over there whenever they ask and play a

527
00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:28,000
Speaker 1: pretty good first base. But with that being said, I

528
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,640
Speaker 1: think first base is really just a repetition thing, so

529
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: that's something that I kind of have to be ahead

530
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,800
Speaker 1: of myself as far as like keeping myself busy even

531
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:37,720
Speaker 1: when I'm not over there.

532
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 3: This spring training is going to be a great opportunity

533
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,520
Speaker 3: with the World Baseball Classic and Will Smith playing for

534
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:49,560
Speaker 3: Team USA, that means there's a lot of opportunities for

535
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,400
Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing to not have Will Smith, you know, taking

536
00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,560
Speaker 3: up the normal Will Smith playing time. Has that entered

537
00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,239
Speaker 3: your mind that this spring training you're really gonna have

538
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:03,000
Speaker 3: an opportunity to get into the rhythm of the season.

539
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, I honestly just I'm showing up to spring training

540
00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:11,400
Speaker 1: expecting both of us to get what we need to

541
00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:15,360
Speaker 1: be ready, obviously him being pushed at a little quicker pace,

542
00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,080
Speaker 1: but at the same time, whenever they ask, that's what

543
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,520
Speaker 1: I want to do. And like I said earlier, that's

544
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:23,760
Speaker 1: kind of the attack that I've taken into the off season,

545
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:28,479
Speaker 1: just being able to prepare for any outcome. And with

546
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,959
Speaker 1: that being said, whether they want me to catch a

547
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,040
Speaker 1: ton in spring training, whatever it may be, I want

548
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 1: to make sure that I'm ready for it.

549
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,840
Speaker 3: Hey. The one thing that I'll always remember about Dalton

550
00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 3: Rushing three years ago, if that was maybe two or

551
00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:46,320
Speaker 3: three years ago, your first big league camp, I was

552
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:53,320
Speaker 3: I was so impressed about your understanding and emphasis on

553
00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:57,720
Speaker 3: the picture catcher relationship. You don't hear too many young

554
00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,200
Speaker 3: catchers talk about it the way you did. You had

555
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,000
Speaker 3: such a great understanding about how every picture is different.

556
00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,720
Speaker 3: You got to speak to them differently to really connect

557
00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 3: with them. When did you really understand the value of

558
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:13,200
Speaker 3: the picture catcher relationship.

559
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,480
Speaker 1: I feel like it's kind of It's been important in

560
00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:22,240
Speaker 1: the game obviously forever. But I guess you would say

561
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:26,800
Speaker 1: pro ball. I kind of get into pro ball obviously

562
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 1: you see your college players like a good pro ball

563
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,480
Speaker 1: You see these guys every single day, day in day out.

564
00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: You know their routines, you know their tendencies, things like that,

565
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 1: and so the better being their catcher, you understand those guys,

566
00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:44,880
Speaker 1: It just makes it easier for you two to click

567
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,719
Speaker 1: and build the trust within each other. I think trust

568
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,120
Speaker 1: is the biggest word there. And the more you trust

569
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,000
Speaker 1: each other, the better the execution is better. The execution

570
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:54,760
Speaker 1: is more success you have.

571
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,240
Speaker 3: What was it like having your lockers so close to

572
00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,720
Speaker 3: Blake Snell and Clayton Kershaw? Two really good pictures but

573
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:03,400
Speaker 3: two really different guys.

574
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, you liked that corner, didn't You've asked?

575
00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:12,000
Speaker 3: I loved it you Snell and uh and Kershaw and

576
00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:15,760
Speaker 3: Snell's one hundred pair of sneakers and honey Boom boots.

577
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:17,080
Speaker 3: That was a great corner.

578
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was. It was a good corner. But like

579
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,520
Speaker 1: I said earlier that those two being some of the

580
00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:27,440
Speaker 1: guys that kind of helped me settle in I think

581
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,560
Speaker 1: played a big role just being able to see the

582
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,560
Speaker 1: two different personalities in the two and obviously the success

583
00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 1: that they both had at this level. So yeah, it

584
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,920
Speaker 1: was a huge opportunity, and who knows, maybe you'll get

585
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:40,080
Speaker 1: that same corner next year.

586
00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:43,360
Speaker 3: Hey, wherever you are is the corner I'm going to

587
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,279
Speaker 3: be in rushing you don't forget that.

588
00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:47,360
Speaker 1: Hear you that I hear.

589
00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:55,000
Speaker 3: About Velcrow dogs. I'm like a Velcro reporter. Have you

590
00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,680
Speaker 3: have you had any withdrawals not being around me every day?

591
00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:02,360
Speaker 3: I mean, has it been weird not seen me every days?

592
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,520
Speaker 1: It's weird not pouring beer on your face anymore. We

593
00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:07,560
Speaker 1: had about a month's stretch of being able to do that,

594
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 1: and that was that brought joy to me.

595
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,880
Speaker 3: I can't wait to do it again. Yeah, you guys,

596
00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:16,160
Speaker 3: I mean even before Kyle Tuck. Kyle Tucker's along for

597
00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:19,000
Speaker 3: the ride. You guys are the core is back for

598
00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:22,200
Speaker 3: the three p and Kyle Tucker is along for the ride.

599
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,799
Speaker 3: Don't forget it, man, all right, if you need me

600
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,080
Speaker 3: in Arizona to help you get ready for spring training,

601
00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:30,759
Speaker 3: let me know I'm always available.

602
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,120
Speaker 1: We'll see if you got good BT the.

603
00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,560
Speaker 3: Okay sounds good? Hey, thanks a lot for doing this

604
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:41,800
Speaker 3: and look forward to seeing you February thirteenth, when pitchers

605
00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:45,520
Speaker 3: and catchers report, and make sure you put in a

606
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:48,400
Speaker 3: good word with Kyle Tucker with me all right for me?

607
00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,040
Speaker 1: Oh oh well, I'll make sure he knows who you are,

608
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:53,920
Speaker 1: all right, as I appreciate you.

609
00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:57,279
Speaker 3: I appreciate you. Dalton Rushing, thanks a lot for the time.

610
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,239
Speaker 3: There he goes Dalton Rushing, who is going to have

611
00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:04,440
Speaker 3: an even bigger sophomore season. Awesome to have him on

612
00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:08,120
Speaker 3: a night like tonight where the Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker.

613
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,840
Speaker 3: He was playing it very cool, very laid back, you know,

614
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,920
Speaker 3: not trying to get too excited. I would imagine to

615
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:18,560
Speaker 3: a certain extent, he's wondering, Hey, what does this mean

616
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,600
Speaker 3: for me? It means you're not gonna play the outfield

617
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,799
Speaker 3: that much? Right now? Rushing eight six six nine eighty

618
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,799
Speaker 3: seven two five seventy is the phone number we have

619
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,960
Speaker 3: opened the lines back up. I could not bleave my guy,

620
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:34,920
Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing. I wanted to get the feeling from a

621
00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:38,400
Speaker 3: young guy like that. The Dodgers adding another player the

622
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,880
Speaker 3: caliber of Kyle Tucker, who is signed for four years

623
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,799
Speaker 3: on an annual average salary of sixty million dollars. There

624
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,960
Speaker 3: are opt outs after year two and year three for

625
00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,480
Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker, who was turning twenty nine years old, in

626
00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,320
Speaker 3: just a couple of days. Eight six, nine eighty seven,

627
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,720
Speaker 3: two five seventy is the phone number. Hey, Like I said,

628
00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,920
Speaker 3: you know, during this whole process, we had heard a

629
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,600
Speaker 3: couple of there were a lot of different things being

630
00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,400
Speaker 3: said about Kyle Tucker, and you had to wonder and

631
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:16,080
Speaker 3: give some pause to why the Astros traded him. Why

632
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:20,319
Speaker 3: didn't the Astros, a team that isn't afraid to, you know,

633
00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:24,680
Speaker 3: spend some money on players, on young players. I mean

634
00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:27,680
Speaker 3: when they traded Tucker, he was barely twenty seven to

635
00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,560
Speaker 3: twenty eight to the Cubs. And then you wonder why

636
00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,200
Speaker 3: the Cubs spend the money they spent on Alex Bregman

637
00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:37,960
Speaker 3: and you never heard them in the mix for Kyle Tucker.

638
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,400
Speaker 3: So those are the type of questions I'm interested in

639
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:47,160
Speaker 3: asking and hearing the answer from Kyle Tucker. Are are

640
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:51,759
Speaker 3: the perceptions real about you? Are you really talented? And

641
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,400
Speaker 3: does the game come so easy to you? And do

642
00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:59,920
Speaker 3: you feel like you were misrepresented during this offseason about

643
00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:03,520
Speaker 3: your love for the game of baseball. I'm interested to

644
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,239
Speaker 3: hear that and why teams like the Astros and the

645
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:10,360
Speaker 3: Cubs did not sign you back and for the Dodgers

646
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,160
Speaker 3: and the Mets, I mean, nobody else really blew them

647
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:17,280
Speaker 3: away with a seven eight year contract that was close

648
00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 3: to this annual average salary for the Dodgers. It makes sense,

649
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 3: and for Tucker it makes sense. Tucker has opt outs

650
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:31,600
Speaker 3: after years two and three. If he does have two

651
00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:34,399
Speaker 3: great years with the Dodgers, he more than likely will

652
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:38,359
Speaker 3: opt out, no doubt. But if he has, you know,

653
00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 3: the season that he had with the Cubs last year,

654
00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:46,200
Speaker 3: if he gets hurt, he's gonna stay in until possibly

655
00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:49,120
Speaker 3: opting out in year three. And if it goes as

656
00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:54,000
Speaker 3: far as four years, that still isn't an eternity. The

657
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:58,400
Speaker 3: Dodgers can overcome that. The Brewers, the Reds, the Pirates,

658
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,000
Speaker 3: the Angels, they could not overcome that. We saw that

659
00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,160
Speaker 3: with the Angels. They have not overcome the signing of

660
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:10,160
Speaker 3: Anthony Rendon, so a short term deal. Yes, the average

661
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:15,000
Speaker 3: annual salary is extremely high sixty million dollars, but let's

662
00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:18,920
Speaker 3: not forget the Dodgers are only paying show Hey Otani

663
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:23,200
Speaker 3: two million dollars next year. He has deferred so much

664
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:26,919
Speaker 3: money and the Dodgers have made so much money since

665
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:30,680
Speaker 3: O'tani signed on and winning back to back championships and

666
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:35,880
Speaker 3: becoming literally a global brand that they can afford to

667
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,560
Speaker 3: make this type of contract. You're talking about a sixty

668
00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:43,600
Speaker 3: million dollar contract for Kyle Tucker with the penalties that

669
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:47,640
Speaker 3: the Dodgers are facing being a third straight year offender

670
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:52,359
Speaker 3: of being in the highest tax bracket in payroll. They

671
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:55,080
Speaker 3: are paying one hundred and ten percent on every dollar

672
00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,719
Speaker 3: of that sixty million and it doesn't matter to them

673
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:03,080
Speaker 3: because of the way structured his contract. Keep that in

674
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,399
Speaker 3: mind as well. Let's go out to Kellen in LA.

675
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:09,880
Speaker 3: You're on Dodger Talk with David Vasse. How you doing Kellen?

676
00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:14,040
Speaker 10: Pretty good, Dave, thanks for taking my call. Quick question

677
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:16,560
Speaker 10: about the signing. What kind of the impact will this

678
00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:18,920
Speaker 10: have on t O and the rest of the outfield?

679
00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:23,200
Speaker 10: And god forbid we go into a lockout? How does

680
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:27,400
Speaker 10: that lockout affect his terms on his contract.

681
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:29,400
Speaker 3: As far as Tucker goes?

682
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,680
Speaker 9: Yeah, as far as Tucker, yeah, before you well.

683
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:36,920
Speaker 3: For Tucker and for yeah, that you know that is interesting.

684
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,319
Speaker 3: I have to I have to look into that. As

685
00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,640
Speaker 3: far as getting paid. He wouldn't get paid during the

686
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:45,200
Speaker 3: lockout like anybody else, but would that count as a

687
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,640
Speaker 3: year two? You know, they're not going to miss the

688
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:51,400
Speaker 3: entire season next year, Kellen. Even if there is a

689
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:55,759
Speaker 3: disagreement and a lockout that maybe misses a week or

690
00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:59,719
Speaker 3: two of next year, They're still going to play like

691
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:03,040
Speaker 3: they did back in what twenty two, one hundred and

692
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,360
Speaker 3: sixty two games because they have brand new broadcast partners.

693
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:10,040
Speaker 3: So let's just say for the sake of conversation, they

694
00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 3: only play one hundred and forty games in twenty twenty seven,

695
00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 3: that would still be year two for Kyle Tucker.

696
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:20,920
Speaker 9: Gotcha? Okay, that makes sense.

697
00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, And you know, I'm I might be the eternal optimist,

698
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:27,600
Speaker 3: even though I've been through this before and we've heard

699
00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:31,000
Speaker 3: a lot of the give and take. I could see

700
00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:35,040
Speaker 3: spring training being delayed in twenty twenty seven, but I

701
00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:38,640
Speaker 3: find it hard to believe that both these sides would

702
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:44,440
Speaker 3: completely mismanage the popularity of the sport and miss too

703
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:48,320
Speaker 3: much of next season, right, right.

704
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,279
Speaker 7: And then what do you think how this.

705
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:52,440
Speaker 2: Affectio?

706
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,480
Speaker 10: Would he move to left or would they reopen conversations

707
00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,040
Speaker 10: as far as his availability?

708
00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say, hey, that's not off the table, Kellen.

709
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 3: But right now, the Oscar Hernandez is your left fielder,

710
00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:12,279
Speaker 3: and you talk about players like keyk Hernandez. Let's not

711
00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,480
Speaker 3: forget how big Tioscar Hernandez has been in October for

712
00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:22,880
Speaker 3: the Dodgers. Huge Kyle Tucker. Huge Kyle Tucker has not

713
00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,600
Speaker 3: been the player ta Oscar Hernandez has been in the playoffs.

714
00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:29,839
Speaker 3: You need to keep Taoscar Hernandez. I am not in

715
00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:33,799
Speaker 3: favor of trading Taoscar Hernandez and the Dodgers are in

716
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:38,600
Speaker 3: no financial h constraint to be forced to trade ta

717
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:42,920
Speaker 3: Oscar Hernandez because of everything I laid out regarding this

718
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,799
Speaker 3: all goes back to the Otani signing. You may not

719
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:50,000
Speaker 3: like it, but he did defer sixty eight million dollars

720
00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:54,480
Speaker 3: every year of his contract, so he's only counting two

721
00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:59,600
Speaker 3: million against you. I love Yeah, we love la, we

722
00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:03,160
Speaker 3: love it. Kellen eight six six nine eighty seven two

723
00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:07,120
Speaker 3: five seventy is the phone number. I mean, like I've

724
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:10,920
Speaker 3: said before, Number one, Dodger games are no longer games,

725
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:16,240
Speaker 3: they're events. Number Two, the Dodgers ownership and Andrew Friedman

726
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,040
Speaker 3: has not just been a step ahead the rest of

727
00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:23,480
Speaker 3: the league since they took over. They're three or four

728
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,440
Speaker 3: or five steps ahead of the league. And Otani is

729
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:31,080
Speaker 3: right on par with them. With the way he had

730
00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:34,960
Speaker 3: the vision to defer the majority of his contract to

731
00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:37,080
Speaker 3: allow a team that he was going to sign with,

732
00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:40,920
Speaker 3: like the Dodgers, to not just pocket that money, but

733
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,920
Speaker 3: to use it to be able to put out a

734
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:47,960
Speaker 3: competitive team. And Stan Casten has said this. After the

735
00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:51,840
Speaker 3: Dodgers won the first championship in twenty four with Otani,

736
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:55,839
Speaker 3: he said, nine more I was told by members of

737
00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:59,120
Speaker 3: the staff, the coaching staff, that Otani was telling people

738
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:03,839
Speaker 3: that again after they won in Toronto. Eight more So,

739
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:08,160
Speaker 3: this is the vision the Dodgers and Otani had when

740
00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,839
Speaker 3: he signed this contract. This goes back to Otani and

741
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:17,839
Speaker 3: the way he and the Dodgers structured his contract. If

742
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:21,279
Speaker 3: he's making seventy million dollars every year, and I know

743
00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:23,960
Speaker 3: the Dodgers have to put a certain amount in an

744
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:29,279
Speaker 3: escrow account, which they are certainly more than capable of

745
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:34,680
Speaker 3: getting at least ten percent interest on. As guys that

746
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:40,120
Speaker 3: have made their living on Wall Street and investing, trust me,

747
00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:45,200
Speaker 3: this Tucker signing for sixty million dollars a year. It

748
00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:48,520
Speaker 3: may be mind blowing to all of us, but with

749
00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:52,200
Speaker 3: the dway the Dodgers signed Otani and the way he

750
00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:55,399
Speaker 3: structured his contract and the way the Dodgers have had

751
00:44:56,320 --> 00:45:00,920
Speaker 3: immeasurable success. Well, I'm sure it can be measured in theices,

752
00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:07,239
Speaker 3: but for us immeasurable economic success, this is very much

753
00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,080
Speaker 3: within their means and it's not in the means of

754
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:13,279
Speaker 3: anybody else. And the Dodgers don't have to make any

755
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,840
Speaker 3: apologies for this. The Braves could have done this, the

756
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:19,839
Speaker 3: Yankees could have done this. A number of teams. The

757
00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:24,239
Speaker 3: Mets were willing to do this. So the Dodgers are

758
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,560
Speaker 3: just a point of destination for a lot of players,

759
00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:32,640
Speaker 3: similar to when Shaq and Kobe and Kobe and Gasol

760
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:36,719
Speaker 3: and Magic and Worthy were a point of destination for

761
00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:41,439
Speaker 3: the Lakers. Let's take another phone call Beaumont, Devin, You're

762
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:43,040
Speaker 3: on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Devin?

763
00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:45,640
Speaker 9: Hey, Dave doing Gray?

764
00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:46,200
Speaker 7: I love you.

765
00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:47,319
Speaker 9: I'm such a huge fan.

766
00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:50,399
Speaker 3: Oh thank you. It's a great night to be doing

767
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:50,880
Speaker 3: the show.

768
00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:55,880
Speaker 9: Definitely, I agree. So I definitely know it is a

769
00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:59,160
Speaker 9: great signing, very positive thing. But I don't know how

770
00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:01,480
Speaker 9: much I like it. I think I wanted someone like

771
00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:02,760
Speaker 9: Bellinger or but shit.

772
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:08,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I wouldn't say any one of these three.

773
00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:12,839
Speaker 3: I would say Tucker is a better all around fundamental

774
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:16,640
Speaker 3: hitter than Cody Bellinger. But Cody Bellinger is a playoff

775
00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:21,640
Speaker 3: performer and more versatile than Kyle Tucker. So I would

776
00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:26,640
Speaker 3: say that there's marginal differences between all the three names

777
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:28,600
Speaker 3: that you mentioned, and that's why I thought it was

778
00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:32,399
Speaker 3: a little ridiculous. Kyle Tucker dragged this on as much

779
00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:35,120
Speaker 3: as he did, but it's a it's a it's a

780
00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,480
Speaker 3: sign that he was not getting the market he thought

781
00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:42,120
Speaker 3: he would early in free agency. But to say that

782
00:46:42,239 --> 00:46:44,919
Speaker 3: you wouldn't you don't like this, or you don't want

783
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:49,200
Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker, that that's a little bit of a statement

784
00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:50,600
Speaker 3: I can't agree with. Devin.

785
00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:55,120
Speaker 9: No, I definitely think that I like that we signed

786
00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:58,080
Speaker 9: Kyle Tucker. I think it's a good investment and hopefully

787
00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:00,239
Speaker 9: it pays off, even though he didn't do that great

788
00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:03,120
Speaker 9: in the last playoffs. But overall, I agree with you

789
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:05,720
Speaker 9: that Bellinger and Kyle Tucker matchup very well.

790
00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:08,600
Speaker 3: Okay, let me ask you a question, Devin, what would

791
00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:11,160
Speaker 3: you rather have, because you know you just can't get

792
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:14,680
Speaker 3: these players in a vacuum? Would you rather have Bobashett

793
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:18,600
Speaker 3: for eight years, reportedly two eighty three hundred million dollars

794
00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:23,080
Speaker 3: Cody Bellinger reportedly five or six years for two hundred

795
00:47:23,120 --> 00:47:26,360
Speaker 3: million dollars, or just play it safe with a really

796
00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,719
Speaker 3: good hitter in Kyle Tucker and have them basically for

797
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:33,279
Speaker 3: two to four years and pay sixty million dollars. That

798
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:36,600
Speaker 3: is very much within the Dodgers financial means.

799
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:39,920
Speaker 9: And it's sixty million dollars a year or for that

800
00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:40,880
Speaker 9: four years?

801
00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:42,640
Speaker 3: No a year?

802
00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:46,160
Speaker 9: Oh yeah, So I guess I don't know. I guess

803
00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:49,000
Speaker 9: that's not that bad. Let's see hopefully it's a Hopefully

804
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:49,720
Speaker 9: it pays off.

805
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:52,480
Speaker 3: And we three p Okay, Devin, I'm glad you agree

806
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:54,920
Speaker 3: sixty million dollars a year is not that bad. I

807
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:57,839
Speaker 3: feel like Kyle Tucker will be able to survive the

808
00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:00,000
Speaker 3: next four years on sixty million dollars.

809
00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:04,200
Speaker 9: I agree, that's definitely gonna be a lie and it's good.

810
00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:06,120
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know how much you're making

811
00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,440
Speaker 3: it Boumont, Devin, but man, sixty million dollars is a

812
00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:11,160
Speaker 3: lot to me. I'll tell you that right now.

813
00:48:12,440 --> 00:48:14,879
Speaker 9: I'm definitely not making sixty million, but I wish maybe

814
00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:15,319
Speaker 9: one day.

815
00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:18,680
Speaker 3: All right, Devin, thank you for the phone on. Thank

816
00:48:18,680 --> 00:48:22,240
Speaker 3: you to everybody that called in on this very special

817
00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:27,040
Speaker 3: Dodger Talk, which certainly broke down the news that Kyle

818
00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:30,719
Speaker 3: Tucker has signed a four year contract with the Dodgers.

819
00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:34,720
Speaker 3: Stay tuned to Dodgers Radio and five to seventy LA Sports.

820
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,680
Speaker 3: We will have more on this story all day long

821
00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:41,560
Speaker 3: the rest of the night. Ignore Ben Maller and his

822
00:48:41,719 --> 00:48:45,399
Speaker 3: jealousy if you're staying up until eleven, and we'll talk

823
00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,399
Speaker 3: to you tomorrow morning and throughout the day to get

824
00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:51,760
Speaker 3: more details on how this all came together and what's

825
00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:55,080
Speaker 3: next for the Dodgers after they have signed Kyle Tucker.

826
00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,279
Speaker 3: Thanks to Dalton Rushing as well for joining us. You

827
00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:01,360
Speaker 3: can find the show on the iHeart Radio app. Thank you,

828
00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:03,320
Speaker 3: Ronnie Foscio Sea