Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
Speaker 2: We're between games here in the Bronx, a doubleheader for
Speaker 2: the Dodgers and Yankees, and we're joining right now by
Speaker 2: the man, the king of New York sports media, The
Speaker 2: New York Post, the California Post, the one and only
Speaker 2: John Hayman. John. Great to be back in the house
Speaker 2: that Hayman built.
Speaker 3: I think it's.
Speaker 1: Called something else. David, You're the best. I love being
Speaker 1: on with you. I appreciate this.
Speaker 2: When you take a look at the Dodgers from the
Speaker 2: East Coast and nationally, are they the envy of every
Speaker 2: other team out there right now?
Speaker 1: I'm sure they are. I mean, they won two in
Speaker 1: a row. They're prohibitive favorites this year. They look fantastic.
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously every team's got some worries. Will Smith,
Speaker 1: who I think is the best catcher in baseball. There's
Speaker 1: certainly something to worry about in Otani now taking a
Speaker 1: break from pitching is certainly a setback there. But I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, the Atoni is the best player in the world.
Speaker 1: I mean, Freddie Freeman, first ballot Hall of Famer, and
Speaker 1: they just got a great I mean, you could call
Speaker 1: them complimentary players, but they're great players. Muncie Pats, Edmund
Speaker 1: te Oscar up and down that team. They're really terrific,
Speaker 1: and it's amazing the way they produce players. I mean,
Speaker 1: everybody they call up seems to be productive, whether it
Speaker 1: be Robleski or whomever. They all come up and help
Speaker 1: the Dodgers. A very few and far between come up
Speaker 1: and do not produce what they expect.
Speaker 2: Do you feel like Yamamoto is starting to get the
Speaker 2: recognition he deserves or being one of the top three
Speaker 2: pitchers arguably in the.
Speaker 3: Game, Well he should. I mean I agree with you.
Speaker 1: I mean I would still rank Schooble number one, but
Speaker 1: I mean at this point I would go with Yamamoto
Speaker 1: as the number two pitcher in the game. That's you know,
Speaker 1: I mean, he is terrific. When he did in the
Speaker 1: World Series last year, just amazing. I mean that was
Speaker 1: worth that contract. I know that both New York teams tried,
Speaker 1: they stopped. At some point, I just felt that he
Speaker 1: was going to to be a Dodger all along. The
Speaker 1: rumor had been out there that he wanted to be
Speaker 1: on the West coast, and he eliminated the Giants very quickly,
Speaker 1: and I started to have my doubts, but he ended
Speaker 1: up with the Dodgers and it wasn't all about the money.
Speaker 3: In the end.
Speaker 1: He did want to be a Dodger, and I can't
Speaker 1: blame him. Who wouldn't want to be a Dodger.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think everybody wants to be a Dodger these days.
Speaker 2: When you look at their starting rotation for October, though,
Speaker 2: with the Otani left knee putting that in question, they
Speaker 2: are going to get Snell back, So you got the
Speaker 2: one to two combination of Snell and Yamamoto. Do you
Speaker 2: believe this Otani left knee issue is going to maybe
Speaker 2: make things more interesting at the trade deadline for the
Speaker 2: Dodgers to pursue a starter.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I do think that they're going to need to pursue
Speaker 1: a starter. I mean, I'm far be it from me
Speaker 1: to tell them what to do. I mean, they've been
Speaker 1: incredible with all their decisions, you know, I would think
Speaker 1: so the word was kind of getting out there that
Speaker 1: they probably weren't going to go for schoobl They didn't
Speaker 1: want to give up. You know, they have the best
Speaker 1: prospect lists in baseball. I think seven top one hundred prospects,
Speaker 1: and the word was getting out that that they really
Speaker 1: weren't anxious to do it. They felt Snell would be back,
Speaker 1: and they saw a Glass now coming back at some point,
Speaker 1: and they were looking at it like, well, I mean, sure,
Speaker 1: of course Scooba might be a little.
Speaker 3: Better than almost anybody.
Speaker 1: But a Snell's a top ten pitcher went healthy, Glass
Speaker 1: now a top twenty pitcher went healthy. But at this
Speaker 1: point there are just too many questions. I mean, I
Speaker 1: still count Snell as a question. He's not back yet.
Speaker 1: Glass now a question. And now you've got O'tani as
Speaker 1: a question. I mean, I like Robuski, you know, I
Speaker 1: think he's a playoff starter.
Speaker 3: He was an all start, looked good in the game.
Speaker 3: I like him.
Speaker 1: But you know, at this point, I would say that
Speaker 1: would be the one thing that they would be good
Speaker 1: if they could get go get his starter. And the
Speaker 1: market's going to be tough. It is a severe seller's market.
Speaker 1: A lot of those guys we expected to be out
Speaker 1: there are now probably not going to be out there.
Speaker 1: I don't think Sonny Gray is going to be traded.
Speaker 1: I don't see how. It doesn't feel like Contra is
Speaker 1: going to be traded, and we have to question on
Speaker 1: Schooble too, is he really going to be traded? So,
Speaker 1: you know, is there are there is there going to
Speaker 1: be even one bona fide playoff starter out there? If
Speaker 1: there is, I expect the Dodgers probably will be in
Speaker 1: the mix at this point.
Speaker 2: Are you believing the Tigers will hold on to Schooble
Speaker 2: the rest of the year.
Speaker 1: At this point, I kind of think that they probably will.
Speaker 1: They've wanted to think ten out of thirteen as we
Speaker 1: do this, so to me, I think that they I
Speaker 1: think so.
Speaker 3: I think they'll go for it.
Speaker 1: You know, I had been hearing rumors that, you know,
Speaker 1: when they were doing poorly, that they'd probably traded either
Speaker 1: way just because you should be able to get some
Speaker 1: a whole for him, just like when Sambathew was traded
Speaker 1: at the deadline of the Brewers. You know, there were
Speaker 1: two very top prospects in that deal, and that's kind
Speaker 1: of what they were looking at. They don't seem like
Speaker 1: a World Series contender to me, but in the American League,
Speaker 1: it feels like almost anything can happen. I mean, I
Speaker 1: believe I don't believe in Boston. I think Boston should
Speaker 1: be a playoff team. I'm not completely convinced on Detroit
Speaker 1: or they do have a positive run differential, and they
Speaker 1: are in a weak Division two, so they could actually
Speaker 1: steal that Division two.
Speaker 2: John Hayman is our guest MLB Network, New York Post,
Speaker 2: California Post is our guest at Yankee Stadium. All Right,
Speaker 2: when you look at the landscape around baseball, the Dodgers
Speaker 2: are the favorites. But who would you say is the
Speaker 2: team that could give them the most trouble in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Well, I would say either Milwaukee or Philadelphia or Atlanta
Speaker 1: if they get another starter. I've been suggesting that Atlanta
Speaker 1: go get another starting pitcher to pair with Sale forever
Speaker 1: and they haven't done it. They've still maintained and they're
Speaker 1: still in first place. So I mean, they're a tough team.
Speaker 1: But you know, if you look at Philly with Wheeler
Speaker 1: and Sanchez at the top, and you look at Milwaukee,
Speaker 1: if Harrison gets better, you've got Harrison and certainly the
Speaker 1: miz So each of those teams has two top starters.
Speaker 1: But you know, it's not all about starters. If you
Speaker 1: look at the total the team in totality, and that's
Speaker 1: the way it is. You know, I think we sometimes
Speaker 1: over over rate the importance of starters. The Atlanta Braves
Speaker 1: had the best starters for a decade. They only won
Speaker 1: one World Series, right, So the Tigers had incredible combination
Speaker 1: of starters when they had sures or In Verlander and
Speaker 1: Annabel Sanchez and you know, so many good starters and
Speaker 1: they didn't win the World Series with So I might
Speaker 1: be overstating the importance of the starters. I mean, if
Speaker 1: you just look at the entire teams, you know, the
Speaker 1: Dodgers are huge favorites. I feel like, once again, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, if I were going to pick one, I'm
Speaker 1: going to say the miz with Milwaukee with Harrison back
Speaker 1: because I do like the rest of that Brewer team
Speaker 1: and it's pretty impressive what they do in Milwaukee.
Speaker 2: All right, before I let John Hayman go, You've been
Speaker 2: around the game a long time. Roberts earlier today was
Speaker 2: holding court with all of us. Dave Roberts is one
Speaker 2: of the few managers that still wears his uniform top.
Speaker 2: And I don't think we've seen a manager hold court
Speaker 2: that way in the dugout in a long time. Am
Speaker 2: I wrong? How Rare is it to have Dave Roberts
Speaker 2: still have some of those old school traits with the
Speaker 2: way he's able to, you know, walk that line.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I like it.
Speaker 1: I mean, I guess on the road, you know, he
Speaker 1: still have the most media with the Dodgers, but I
Speaker 1: mean at home it's probably overwhelming. I mean, I can
Speaker 1: only imagine how many in a home game are there.
Speaker 3: So it was kind of a nice group.
Speaker 1: There was only about ten or twelve media people, and
Speaker 1: it was nice to see a manager relax and chat
Speaker 1: with the.
Speaker 3: Media like that. Occasionally we see it.
Speaker 1: I've seen aj Hinch, Dowart, some of the other top
Speaker 1: managers who are very comfortable in their own skin, will
Speaker 1: occasionally do that in New York. But you know, he's
Speaker 1: got a lot of meat people in a home, so
Speaker 1: it's probably difficult to do at home. As by the way,
Speaker 1: you don't see it at home.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true. There's a lot of international media John Hayman.
Speaker 1: International media any probably his family and other things going
Speaker 1: on at home. Now he's on the road, so he's
Speaker 1: got a little more time to chit chat. And we're
Speaker 1: still more than two weeks away from the trade deadline,
Speaker 1: so you know, I don't blame him for being relaxed.
Speaker 3: This team will relax you. Now.
Speaker 1: I don't want to judge from these games with the
Speaker 1: Yankees because they are particularly terrible, you know so, But
Speaker 1: I've seen the Dodgers enough to know they are the
Speaker 1: best team in baseball. I know they had a bad
Speaker 1: series against the Diamondbacks. I can't even believe it, but
Speaker 1: it happens o one hundred and sixty two games. I've
Speaker 1: only seen one team really go through the whole thing
Speaker 1: without any trouble, and that was the ninety eight Yankees.
Speaker 1: And I say that, but the first I believe they
Speaker 1: lost the first three games of that season. So even
Speaker 1: that team had a little bit of a hiccup, but
Speaker 1: from there on nothing so that it just doesn't happen.
Speaker 2: Well, these Dodgers are going to try to do with
Speaker 2: those Yankees, and that's three peat. John Hayman was there
Speaker 2: for that. We'll see where it goes this year. Thanks
Speaker 2: a lot for the time and great to catch up
Speaker 2: with you, and hopefully we see you next weekend at
Speaker 2: City Field.
Speaker 1: Always a pleasure. I will be there and watching probably
Speaker 1: some more Dodger victory. So I'm guessing we'll see we'll
Speaker 1: see here.
Speaker 2: It looks that way. John, thanks a lot for the
Speaker 2: time