Speaker 1: The quest for the three peat has begun.
Speaker 2: Only four teams in Major League Baseball history have won
Speaker 2: three consecutive titles. The Dodgers are the favorites to become
Speaker 2: the fifth.
Speaker 1: Face a spring training Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: Here we go again. We're here, we runner.
Speaker 1: Back, hosted by Dodger saint signer David Bassi. Threepeat in
Speaker 1: the Mexican in on the show called eight six six,
Speaker 1: not eighty seven two five seven, and be sure to
Speaker 1: follow Dodger Talk wherever you catch your podcasts. Here's your host,
Speaker 1: David Basset.
Speaker 2: We are live night two at Camelback Ranching, Glendale, Arizona.
Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us for another great Dodger Talk
Speaker 2: show we have planned for you. Coming up at the
Speaker 2: bottom of the hour, Max Monsey will join us after
Speaker 2: signing a two year extension. We'll hear from Muncie, who
Speaker 2: is now the longest active tenured Dodger on this squad
Speaker 2: after so many guys have departed that have meant a
Speaker 2: lot to this team for you know, whether it's signing
Speaker 2: elsewhere or retiring like Kershaw. I know keyk Hernandez is back,
Speaker 2: but remember he had a little interruption going to the
Speaker 2: Red Sox and then coming back to the Dodgers. So
Speaker 2: it's Max Muncy who is the longest active tenured player
Speaker 2: on this team, and keyk Hernandez is the only Dodger
Speaker 2: player on this team that has played in all of
Speaker 2: the World Series that Dave Roberts has managed twenty seventeen,
Speaker 2: twenty eighteen, twenty twenty and of course the back to
Speaker 2: back World Series championship. So Max Munsey will join us
Speaker 2: at the bottom of the hour, and yes, I will
Speaker 2: have to ask him why I was so top of
Speaker 2: mind when the social media team was asking him about
Speaker 2: who could not do pushups. It's who's on the team Moncy.
Speaker 2: But I appreciate him keeping my career alive as far
Speaker 2: as sights and sounds here at camel Back Ranch. And
Speaker 2: by the way, we do have phone lines open. We
Speaker 2: are taking your phone calls at eight sixty six nine,
Speaker 2: eight seven two five seventy. You will hear from Andrew
Speaker 2: Friedman throughout the show tonight. Andrew Friedman spoke to us
Speaker 2: after the workouts were over with, and there were a
Speaker 2: few different topics that we talked to him about, including
Speaker 2: who are the next wave of young outfielders to be
Speaker 2: part of this Dodger ball club. Also, Andrew Freeman responded
Speaker 2: to the praise heaped on him and the Dodgers by
Speaker 2: Bryce Harper and Manny Machado and also a rival GM.
Speaker 2: So you'll hear from Andrew Freeman about that. In our
Speaker 2: next segment. You'll hear from Andrew Freeman about the top
Speaker 2: outfield prospects towards the bottom of the hour, and in
Speaker 2: just a moment, you'll hear what Andrew Freeman had to
Speaker 2: say about Otani and Yamamoto and what the plan is
Speaker 2: for them as they go to the World Baseball Classic.
Speaker 2: But Taoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts are in camp first
Speaker 2: official full squad workout. Both those guys have a lot
Speaker 2: to prove and a bounce back type year. Mookie Bets
Speaker 2: had his worst offensive season in the big leagues last year.
Speaker 2: Tai Oscar Hernandez had a rough ride in right field
Speaker 2: and it affected his health and his offense. Taascar Hernandez,
Speaker 2: I've been telling you all off season, is my pick
Speaker 2: to come back and silence all the critics. The people
Speaker 2: that were calling in about Tioscar Hernandez all season long
Speaker 2: are going to be calling in and doing what you
Speaker 2: did when I stood behind Max Munsey. Because there's a resume,
Speaker 2: and now everybody loves Max Muncy. Everybody realizes what Max
Speaker 2: Munsey means to the Dodger order. Taoscar Hernandez two years
Speaker 2: ago had a great season for the Dodgers, playing left field,
Speaker 2: hit thirty three home runs, drove in ninety nine runs.
Speaker 2: He is, in his own words, the best shape of
Speaker 2: his career. He has reshaped his body to be more
Speaker 2: agile and to be able to be a better outfielder.
Speaker 2: Here's what ta Oscar Hernandez told me earlier today about
Speaker 2: the motivation to put in the work weeks after winning
Speaker 2: the World Series in Toronto.
Speaker 3: It just the fact that I was missing. I miss
Speaker 3: twenty something games. I think it was because of the injury.
Speaker 3: I don't want to these games. I don't like to
Speaker 3: mix these games. I like to be on the field
Speaker 3: and for me to stay healthy this year, it's one
Speaker 3: of my goals, and just trying to be there for
Speaker 3: the team and trying to get to the playoff first
Speaker 3: and then chase another championship. Yeah, yeah, you know, I
Speaker 3: think for every position player, getting a Gold Glove is
Speaker 3: one of the goal for any player in my career,
Speaker 3: I have the silver Slugger. I got some of some
Speaker 3: of that, I got a dreams. Now you know, I
Speaker 3: got some really good seasons and the big leagues, and
Speaker 3: I wanted to get especially now that you know it's
Speaker 3: it's hard to say of two or three years more
Speaker 3: for me in my career.
Speaker 4: I wanted to go.
Speaker 3: Home having one of those gold glove. Been working really
Speaker 3: hard for it, and let's see what happens this year.
Speaker 2: Love it, Love the smile of ta Oscar Hernandez, Love
Speaker 2: his spirit. He means a lot to this Dodger team,
Speaker 2: and look him coming into camp in great shape sends
Speaker 2: a message to not only the rest of the league,
Speaker 2: but more importantly his teammates that he is ready to
Speaker 2: come back for a fresh twenty twenty six and have
Speaker 2: the work ethic to help this team three peat. So
Speaker 2: ta Oscar Hernandez is feeling good. He is motivated and
Speaker 2: certainly wants to prove a lot of people wrong. And
Speaker 2: when you hear him say when I go home in
Speaker 2: two or three year as well, he is thirty three
Speaker 2: years old, so three years from now he's thirty six.
Speaker 2: Not too many forty year old position players, let alone
Speaker 2: outfielders playing in Major League Baseball these days, another thirty
Speaker 2: three year old. He's thirty two right now, but we'll
Speaker 2: turn thirty three during the season that had his worst
Speaker 2: offensive season and what many believe is going to be
Speaker 2: a Hall of Fame career. Mookie Betts certainly knows how
Speaker 2: to get ready for the season, a more normal type
Speaker 2: of spring training, knowing that he is going to be
Speaker 2: the everyday shortstop, having a full year under his belt.
Speaker 2: But the reality is Mooky had the lowest batting average
Speaker 2: of his career, the lowest on base percentage of his career,
Speaker 2: the lowest slugging percentage of his career, which means the
Speaker 2: lowest ops of his career. When the Dodgers extended Mookie
Speaker 2: Bets after trading for him, many people believe that the
Speaker 2: contract was not going to age well. But it doesn't
Speaker 2: sound like Mooki Bets is ready to concede any of
Speaker 2: that when we spoke to him earlier today.
Speaker 5: Haven't gotten any game actions, so we'll see if we'll
Speaker 5: see if anything worked.
Speaker 4: But really just kind of getting.
Speaker 5: Back to the basics, I mean, just doing understanding what
Speaker 5: I do best and trying to hone in on that like,
Speaker 5: I haven't had a regular spring.
Speaker 2: Of four years, three or four years.
Speaker 5: Maybe since I've been a Todger, so this will be
Speaker 5: maybe the first one.
Speaker 4: And so I don't really know how.
Speaker 2: It's going to work out.
Speaker 5: I just know that being thirty three now I don't
Speaker 5: have to hurry up and get here and be ready
Speaker 5: to play from day one, so I can just kind
Speaker 5: of embrace that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess you think about it. When Mooki Bets
Speaker 2: got here in twenty twenty, all of a sudden, the
Speaker 2: pandemic hit in the middle of spring training, and then
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one we were still kind of coming
Speaker 2: out of it. And when you look back two years ago,
Speaker 2: he wasn't expecting to be the Dodgers shortstop, but it
Speaker 2: was evident Gavin Lux couldn't handle that position. So as
Speaker 2: the Dodgers were getting to getting ready to board the
Speaker 2: plane to South Korea, they asked him to be the
Speaker 2: everyday shortstop. And for the first time in three years,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers are going to have Opening Day in North
Speaker 2: America and specifically in Los Angeles, rather than being in
Speaker 2: South Korea or Tokyo, Japan. So Mooki Bets had a
Speaker 2: rough start to last year, because remember he flew to Tokyo,
Speaker 2: got really sick, lost somewhere between fifteen and twenty pounds,
Speaker 2: and it felt like he was playing catch up the
Speaker 2: rest of the year and never could find his swing.
Speaker 2: And being this my fifteenth year covering the Dodgers, I've
Speaker 2: learned from former Dodgers how every year is unique, and
Speaker 2: that's what makes the great ones really special when they
Speaker 2: can do it year after year, guys like Freddie Freeman
Speaker 2: and Mookie Bets. But every year is unique. That was
Speaker 2: last year. The circumstances were completely different than what they
Speaker 2: are this year for Mookie Bets. So let's see if
Speaker 2: he can prove that last year was just an off year,
Speaker 2: because I feel like this is going to be somewhat
Speaker 2: of a tell season. Is this the beginning of Mookie
Speaker 2: Bets kind of plateauing and being in the twilight of
Speaker 2: his career, being entering his age thirty three season, or
Speaker 2: is this going to be the season that Mookie Betts says, Hey,
Speaker 2: pump the brakes, I'm not going anywhere. I've got a
Speaker 2: lot left in the tank, and don't try to tell
Speaker 2: me I'm on the down side of my career. Six seven,
Speaker 2: two five seventy is the phone number. Are you a
Speaker 2: believer in Mookie Bets? It feels like Dodger fans want
Speaker 2: to believe, they want to go all in with Mookie Bets,
Speaker 2: but for whatever reason, sometimes you're not buying all in.
Speaker 2: And I feel like Mookie Bets is about winning every
Speaker 2: parade that the Dodgers have had since he's been here,
Speaker 2: And basically the Dodgers all they've done since Mookie Bets
Speaker 2: has gotten here is when championships. He's won three World
Speaker 2: Series since twenty twenty. But I really do believe ta
Speaker 2: Oscar Hernandez and Mooki Bets are going to have big
Speaker 2: bounce back years. I might be an optimist, I might
Speaker 2: be a romantic. I may want to believe in these
Speaker 2: two guys, but resume means a lot to me, just
Speaker 2: like resume means a lot to me. Meant a lot
Speaker 2: to me when I was standing firm when so many
Speaker 2: of you were jumping off the Max Monthsy bandwagon, and
Speaker 2: then you saw what life was like without Munci, with
Speaker 2: Mooki Bets having a down year and Tioscar Hernandez looking
Speaker 2: like the Taioscar Hernandez from three years ago in Seattle,
Speaker 2: but I feel like this year is going to resemble
Speaker 2: twenty twenty four for both Mooki Bets and Tioscar Hernandez
Speaker 2: eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
Speaker 2: the phone number. Also kind of looming around Dodger camp
Speaker 2: is the World Baseball Classic because two of the Dodgers'
Speaker 2: best players, Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are headed to
Speaker 2: play for Team Japan, and that is huge national pride.
Speaker 2: It means a lot to the country that these two
Speaker 2: guys are going to be playing. Luckily, Otan has conceded
Speaker 2: that he will only hit, but Yamamoto has been termed
Speaker 2: as Japan's ace by their manager, and Yamamoto and Otani
Speaker 2: came into camp ready not only for the three peat season,
Speaker 2: but also to try to win the World Baseball Classic
Speaker 2: again for Team Japan. Today, Otani and Yamamoto both faced
Speaker 2: hitters for the second time this spring. Yamamoto pitched two
Speaker 2: innings and earlier today, Dave Roberts said that he expects
Speaker 2: Yamamoto to make a start before he leaves for the
Speaker 2: World Baseball Classic, which means he may be on track
Speaker 2: to pitch on Saturday, considering that he just pitched two
Speaker 2: innings today. Otani is not going to pitch in a
Speaker 2: Cactus League game, but Andrew Friedman said he is hoping
Speaker 2: to get Otani into a Freeway Series game when he
Speaker 2: returns from the World Baseball Classic as a pitcher. Speaking
Speaker 2: of Andrew Freeman, I told you we would hear from
Speaker 2: Friedman on a number of different topics. I asked him
Speaker 2: whether or not he has had a conversation with either
Speaker 2: one or both of his Japanese superstars to be mindful
Speaker 2: that it's not just about Team Japan, it's about the Dodgers.
Speaker 6: Not really, because I know them and I know that
Speaker 6: once you know the first pitch and Samurai Japan against Taiwan,
Speaker 6: I just know the level of intensity that they will have,
Speaker 6: and so it's more just making sure the work up
Speaker 6: to this point that we're putting them in the best
Speaker 6: positions to go take on that kind of intense atmosphere.
Speaker 6: And then obviously the build up with Yoshinobu and where
Speaker 6: he's at pitch count wise, what we're able to get
Speaker 6: him to here will help inform a little bit of
Speaker 6: you know, what that workload looks like. But so it's
Speaker 6: more about just the work going in. It is impossible
Speaker 6: to tell those guys to dial it back in any way,
Speaker 6: and nor would I do that. We've talked to Samurai Japan,
Speaker 6: We've talked to Show.
Speaker 7: Hey.
Speaker 6: I think everyone.
Speaker 2: Understands understands that he's not going to no matter what
Speaker 2: the circumstances are, which is a huge relief if you're
Speaker 2: a Dodger fan, and for Yamamoto, you just hope that
Speaker 2: whatever preparation and the strength that he's put on in
Speaker 2: his legs during the off season to be ready for
Speaker 2: not only the long haul and pitching into October again
Speaker 2: for a third straight year, but also understand that, yes,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers respect his dedication to his country, but also
Speaker 2: know your body and if you're not feeling like you
Speaker 2: can go deep into a game, maybe don't go deep
Speaker 2: into a game. That's that's all you can hope for
Speaker 2: at this point. Eight six six nine eight seven two
Speaker 2: five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna take a
Speaker 2: time out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back.
Speaker 2: More from Andrew Freeman. He'll respond to what Bryce Harper
Speaker 2: and Minnie Machado and Jerry Depoto had to say. And
Speaker 2: also we will get to your phone calls at eight
Speaker 2: six six nine, eight seven two. We have two lines
Speaker 2: open right now. I'm live at camel Back Ranch, boots
Speaker 2: on the ground. Whatever you're wondering about your back to
Speaker 2: back champions, I may I actually do have the answer,
Speaker 2: So call in eight six six nine eighty seven two
Speaker 2: five seventy Dodger Talk until eight o'clock right here on
Speaker 2: AM five to seventy LA Sports. We are live from
Speaker 2: camel Back Ranch in Glendale, Arizona today the first full
Speaker 2: squad workout for your back to back World Series champion Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Dodger Talk tonight with you until eight o'clock. Coming up
Speaker 2: in ten minutes, you'll hear our conversation with Max Munsey,
Speaker 2: who signed a two year extension with the Dodgers and
Speaker 2: many are saying left some money on the table to
Speaker 2: return to the Dodgers. So you'll hear from Max Munsey
Speaker 2: and what he had to say about that and the
Speaker 2: attention that is getting, and also him calling me out
Speaker 2: wanting push ups. By the way, the push up things
Speaker 2: started back when Andre Ethier and Justin Turner and ken
Speaker 2: Lee Jansen were here. They were the Ogs that included
Speaker 2: me in so many different ways. I mean, Adrian Gonzalez
Speaker 2: and Justin Turner would have me play catch to warm
Speaker 2: them up before drills back in twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen,
Speaker 2: and they called me into the weight room around that
Speaker 2: time period eighth year and Justin Turner to do push
Speaker 2: ups in front of the rest of the team. And
Speaker 2: I think Monthsy heard about that. It could have been
Speaker 2: again in twenty eighteen when months he was here. But
Speaker 2: that's where it comes from the og Dodgers that certainly
Speaker 2: would include me in a lot of different, different weird
Speaker 2: ways to boost morale during a long spring training. So
Speaker 2: we'll get to all that with Max Munsey in ten minutes.
Speaker 2: I want to remind you that our first broadcast, the
Speaker 2: first Dodger game of this Cactus League, is this Saturday
Speaker 2: against the Angels at Tempe Arizona. Our coverage begins at
Speaker 2: twelve thirty, first pitch at one ten. And also on
Speaker 2: to remind you that our only other show this week
Speaker 2: is Tomorrow night and we are going to have a
Speaker 2: lot of interviews, So if you want to get your
Speaker 2: phone calls in, if you have some opinions about whether
Speaker 2: or not the world Baseball Classic should put Otani and
Speaker 2: Yamamoto at risk and other players and pitchers. I mean,
Speaker 2: Patrick Sandoval off Team Mexico was never the same, but
Speaker 2: look Yamamoto team Japan. It's a whole different story. There's
Speaker 2: a lot of pride that goes into pitching for Team Japan,
Speaker 2: whether it's the Olympics or the World Baseball Classic. I
Speaker 2: completely respect Yamamoto wanting to pitch for Team Japan, but
Speaker 2: I just hope that he has his own guardrails and
Speaker 2: doesn't compromise not only the short term but the long
Speaker 2: term for the Dodgers and trying to repeat because he
Speaker 2: was such a big part of it and will be
Speaker 2: this season. So that's my only hesitation with all this.
Speaker 8: But I.
Speaker 2: Have no issues with the World Baseball Classic. I just
Speaker 2: don't believe that there should be more emphasis on the
Speaker 2: World Baseball Classic by a player, no matter how much
Speaker 2: national pride they have, than their major league team who
Speaker 2: is paying them. And there are big fan bases here
Speaker 2: in Major League Baseball that care about it. So that's
Speaker 2: that's the quandary, right, That's the catch twenty two of
Speaker 2: the World Baseball Classic. But I have no issues. I
Speaker 2: have come to peace with Yamamoto pitching in the World
Speaker 2: Baseball Classic. I just want him to have his own guardrails.
Speaker 2: Eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is
Speaker 2: the phone number. Edwin Diaz is going to be pitching
Speaker 2: for Puerto Rico. Will Smith is going to split catching
Speaker 2: duties with Cal Rawley for Team USA, and of course
Speaker 2: Clayton Kershaw will be making his way back to Arizona
Speaker 2: here shortly to train with Team ussay his last dance
Speaker 2: to be part of the World Baseball Classic. Now, last
Speaker 2: night we had shared with you what Bryce Harper and
Speaker 2: Minny Machado had to say over the weekend when it
Speaker 2: came to the Dodgers and what they have built again
Speaker 2: and built upon this offseason. Well, it hasn't stopped with players.
Speaker 2: Even rival gms are showering Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers
Speaker 2: with a lot of praise, including Jerry Depoto, the GM
Speaker 2: of the Seattle Mariners, was on our sister station KJR
Speaker 2: and was asked about the Dodgers and whether or not
Speaker 2: they are good or bad for baseball.
Speaker 8: What is your response to the statement the Dodgers are
Speaker 8: ruining baseball. I just think they're awesome. You know, and
Speaker 8: where they're deep, they have stars everywhere. They've done it.
Speaker 8: Generally speaking, they're good at scouting, they're good at player development,
Speaker 8: they're good at roster building. You know, I I I
Speaker 8: get it. You know, it's a Their payroll is considerably
Speaker 8: higher than than just about anybody else in the league.
Speaker 8: And you know, and and very much higher than the
Speaker 8: teams that are outside the top three or four. I
Speaker 8: say that, and it's it's hard to be to take
Speaker 8: shots at what they've built. And you know, and and
Speaker 8: the people I think they're smart. They've done a good job.
Speaker 8: They take advantage of the resources they have and the
Speaker 8: market they work in, and and and they do what
Speaker 8: they do. You know, I say that. There's always been
Speaker 8: teams like the Dodgers. You know, in our baseball lives,
Speaker 8: there's been dominant teams. Sometimes they're big market teams, sometimes
Speaker 8: they're they're not, but they don't always win the World Series.
Speaker 8: And you know, it's a it's part of being consistent
Speaker 8: over time and showing up and just banging down the door.
Speaker 8: We feel like we have the ability with the roster
Speaker 8: we have to go toe to toe with anybody, regardless
Speaker 8: of the size of their payroll or how many stars
Speaker 8: they sign.
Speaker 2: Hey, that's a great attitude from a guy that you know,
Speaker 2: I have not agreed with a lot. In fact, that
Speaker 2: might be the first time I have ever agreed with
Speaker 2: Jerry Depoto. And I'm sure you weren't expecting to hear
Speaker 2: that from the Seattle Mariners GM, but they were this
Speaker 2: close to playing the Dodgers in the World Series, and
Speaker 2: they certainly are a contender in the American League again,
Speaker 2: So that was refreshing to hear from Jerry Depoto, a
Speaker 2: guy that I have not agreed on ninety nine point
Speaker 2: nine percent of the things that he has done he
Speaker 2: has said, but that one I certainly agree with. And
Speaker 2: it was refreshing to hear from a guy that is
Speaker 2: in a competitive spot, as Andrew Friedman, not afraid to say, hey,
Speaker 2: what he's doing, what they're doing is impressive. And I
Speaker 2: had a chance to ask Andrew Friedman whether or not
Speaker 2: he had heard what Bryce Harper and Manny Machado had
Speaker 2: to say as far as the praise of the Dodgers
Speaker 2: and them doubling down by signing the best outfielder and
Speaker 2: the best closer this offseason. Here's what Andrew Freeman's response
Speaker 2: was to Manny Machado and Bryce Harper's compliments.
Speaker 6: Most importantly, where our own guys don't want to leave,
Speaker 6: but where players from other teams are looking longingly like, oh,
Speaker 6: I want to be on the Dodgers. That's our goal
Speaker 6: because we feel like if we're able to retain our
Speaker 6: really talented players, if we're able to get really talented
Speaker 6: players from other teams, that obviously will help in our
Speaker 6: ultimate quest to win World Series. So that's not just winning,
Speaker 6: it's also how players are treated, how families are treated,
Speaker 6: and so I think it's all encompassing for it to
Speaker 6: be a destination spot. So hearing those guys say those
Speaker 6: things to me is a real compliment to all of
Speaker 6: the people who pour themselves into it here of trying
Speaker 6: to create a destination spot in La.
Speaker 2: I think Andrew Freeman heard the same thing I heard.
Speaker 2: It sounded like Bryce Harper was opining that he wishes
Speaker 2: he was a Dodger. I don't think there's a spot
Speaker 2: for Bryce Harper. He's a first baseman.
Speaker 9: Now.
Speaker 2: The Dodgers have Freddie Freeman, but he was very close
Speaker 2: to taking the Kyle Tucker type short term contract and
Speaker 2: a higher salary, but chose to go with the Phillies
Speaker 2: and a long term deal. I like that word that
Speaker 2: he used, longing for the Dodgers. Yeah, there are a
Speaker 2: lot of guys I wish they were part of this,
Speaker 2: but Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz had the option and
Speaker 2: they signed it. Edwin Diaz leaving the Mets and Kyle
Speaker 2: Tucker turning down a ten year contract from the Blue
Speaker 2: Jays to sign a shorter term deal with the back
Speaker 2: to back World Series champion Dodgers. Eight six six seven
Speaker 2: two five seventy is the phone number. Phone lines are
Speaker 2: starting to fill up. Let's go out to Lakewood Art.
Speaker 2: You're on Dodger Talk Live from camel Back Ranch. How
Speaker 2: you doing Art?
Speaker 10: Hey, I'm doing great.
Speaker 9: They've always a great show.
Speaker 11: And uh, you know, I'm just I'm just so happy
Speaker 11: that the season is uh float again. And I wanted
Speaker 11: to comment on, uh, you know, whether or not they
Speaker 11: should start uh oh Tani and uh I'm a moto there.
Speaker 11: I mean I guess I would and kind.
Speaker 4: Of like, you know, start them wearing me out here?
Speaker 2: Dave in the w wh do you want to start that? Oh? Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm I'm all good with Otani hitting. I'm all good
Speaker 2: with Otani hitting, but uh, I just hope that Yamamoto
Speaker 2: is honest with himself and his manager if he's feeling
Speaker 2: fatigue or doesn't feel like he can push through any
Speaker 2: sort of early season.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna say arm soreness, but you know, this
Speaker 2: is still the early part of the season, so he's
Speaker 2: got to be careful with that. Thank you for the
Speaker 2: phone call, Art appreciate it. Let's go out to Londale
Speaker 2: or Hey, you're on Dodger Talk Live from glenn Dale, Arizona.
Speaker 2: How you doing, Jorge?
Speaker 10: All right day, We just got back back to Lawnmill.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 10: But last night the good singing you down at the
Speaker 10: camel Back Ranch last weekend, it's uh, I can confirm
Speaker 10: it is the wildest I've seen pictures and catchers ever
Speaker 10: at camel Back Ranch. It's it's really amazing, just the turnout.
Speaker 12: You know, my wife and I have been I've been
Speaker 12: going to I've been going to pictures and catchers in
Speaker 12: twenty twenty and our daughters, who you might hear in
Speaker 12: the background, this is her third spring training.
Speaker 10: And so she uh.
Speaker 9: She got she's only two years old, but she's our
Speaker 9: lucky charm because Lars love kids. And now with her
Speaker 9: third spring training she's she's actually developing relationships as a
Speaker 9: two year old with you know, very personalities. She's Kirston,
Speaker 9: She's met Bruzar, She's met Landon Nak.
Speaker 12: It's fun for the whole family, really going back, going
Speaker 12: to the backfields and really just we're all really excited
Speaker 12: for spring train to start up.
Speaker 10: And you know, it's it's good.
Speaker 2: Vibes right now, man, It certainly is. How could it
Speaker 2: be bad vibes when you're back to back champions and
Speaker 2: you added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz and you got
Speaker 2: River Ryan and Gavin Stone coming back. So yes, certainly
Speaker 2: great vibes here at Dodger camp. Glad you made it
Speaker 2: out here, and yes, confirming what I thought that this
Speaker 2: is the biggest crowds I have seen this early in camp.
Speaker 2: And I'm sure this weekend many of you are going
Speaker 2: to leave rainy southern California and head out to Arizona
Speaker 2: for the first two spring training games. The Dodgers in
Speaker 2: Tempe on Saturday and on Sunday the Dodgers will be
Speaker 2: in Peoria. We had to take on the San Diego Padres,
Speaker 2: who last night during our show, news broke that they
Speaker 2: signed Walker Bueller to a minor league deal. And Walker
Speaker 2: Buehler arrived to Padres camp today and you'll hear what
Speaker 2: Walker Bueller had to say. Wearing man that Padre uniform.
Speaker 2: That was that was hard for me to see. Even
Speaker 2: though I have known for the last couple of weeks
Speaker 2: the Padres were the leading candidate to sign Walker Bueller,
Speaker 2: it still was bizarre to see him wearing that uniform.
Speaker 2: So you'll hear from Walker Bueller. But first around the corner,
Speaker 2: our conversation with Max Munsey, who is back with the
Speaker 2: Dodgers and is looking to close out his career with
Speaker 2: a three peat with the Dodgers and maybe more. Max
Speaker 2: Munsey is next on Dodger Talk live from Camelback Ranch
Speaker 2: in Glendale, Arizona, right here on your home for the
Speaker 2: back to back World Series champion Dodgers AM five seventy
Speaker 2: LA Sport. Welcome back to Dodger Talk. David Vasse with
Speaker 2: you until eight o'clock tonight here on AM five to
Speaker 2: seventy LA Sports. And I'm here with a man that
Speaker 2: continues to keep my name alive on social media. A
Speaker 2: man that finds a way to keep my name alive
Speaker 2: when it comes to Champagne celebrations. Even Elizabeth Olsen has
Speaker 2: taken notes that is the one and only Max Munsey
Speaker 2: who is back. Has signed back with the Dodgers to
Speaker 2: be part of the vass A Magic for two more years.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for joining us, Monsei, appreciate it.
Speaker 4: I don't know what you just said, but sure we'll.
Speaker 2: Go with that, Monsey. I offered to do at least
Speaker 2: five push ups to prove to you that your claim
Speaker 2: yesterday that went viral, I mean got more attention than
Speaker 2: Miguel Rojas saying Blake Snail's the weakest guy on the team.
Speaker 2: I am here to prove it to you, Monsie, if
Speaker 2: you'd like.
Speaker 12: See.
Speaker 7: The thing is, we've done this challenge before and you
Speaker 7: faltered after one and a half push ups, so I
Speaker 7: know where you stand on this.
Speaker 2: There were a lot more people watching. You dragged me
Speaker 2: into the wait room, and there were professional athletes demanding
Speaker 2: that I danced like a monkey in there, and I
Speaker 2: felt the pressure. I couldn't get all the way down.
Speaker 7: Exactly like I said. I've seen you do it before,
Speaker 7: so I know where you're standing is.
Speaker 2: Here's another thing. Even your wife mentioned this the other day. Yeah,
Speaker 2: do you think I need to do five push ups
Speaker 2: right now? Miguel Rojas Lake snail is out there. You
Speaker 2: can actually go against him. I think I'm putting my
Speaker 2: money on you. I feel like I'm in better shape.
Speaker 2: I'm in better shape coming into camp than snail Zilla.
Speaker 4: That's a bold statement. I won't say anything about that.
Speaker 2: A lot of hot mics around here. I guess, hey,
Speaker 2: nobody knows how to take a joke.
Speaker 4: That's a bold claim. That is a bold claim.
Speaker 2: David, Oh, Max, what's it like to be sitting next
Speaker 2: to a guy that you both had such big moments
Speaker 2: in the postseason? Miguel Rojas obviously locker mats with you
Speaker 2: last year tied the game up your home run. How
Speaker 2: much more are we allowed to reflect on last year?
Speaker 4: You know, we can give it a couple more days.
Speaker 7: But now that we're getting going for this year, the
Speaker 7: focuses on this year. You know, today in our meeting,
Speaker 7: we had a nice video that showed kind of the
Speaker 7: highlights of last year, and it's really cool to watch.
Speaker 7: It gets you gives you chills, you know, just you
Speaker 7: kind of replay the whole year in your mind while
Speaker 7: what's going on, and you just you think back and go, man,
Speaker 7: that was a pretty special year. But now that we're
Speaker 7: here for this year, you kind of have to flush that.
Speaker 7: You can't be focused on last year. It'd be focused
Speaker 7: on this year and what's ahead of us. And you know,
Speaker 7: you've heard me say it a million times. Our focus
Speaker 7: is on each each and every day. How are we
Speaker 7: getting better for that day and how are we focusing
Speaker 7: on that day? And you know, me and Miggie, we've
Speaker 7: we've been here for a while and that's one of
Speaker 7: the things we try to harp on with the infielders
Speaker 7: is we got to get better every single day. What
Speaker 7: we're doing, How are we communicating, how we feeling ground balls,
Speaker 7: how are we throwing? Are we doing all that with intent?
Speaker 7: Are we doing that with you know, the focus of
Speaker 7: getting better? And if we're not, we got to call
Speaker 7: a couple people out. And you know, and sometimes that
Speaker 7: includes us. Sometimes we need to be called out. We've
Speaker 7: if we've had a bad day, you know, MEIGGI will
Speaker 7: come up and be like, hey, what's going on on?
Speaker 7: You know, it didn't look like you were focused out there,
Speaker 7: and you know, you just have honest conversations with each other,
Speaker 7: and that's you know, one of the things it's so
Speaker 7: special with this clubhouse is that everyone's open to I
Speaker 7: would necessarily call.
Speaker 4: It criticism, but we'll just use that word to make
Speaker 4: it easy.
Speaker 7: You know, everyone's open to that, and they don't take
Speaker 7: it the wrong way because they know it's coming from
Speaker 7: a place of love and that it's coming from a
Speaker 7: place that we want to be good and for everyone
Speaker 7: to be as good as possible, we have to hold
Speaker 7: each other accountable.
Speaker 2: With that being said, Dave Roberts mentioned to us that
Speaker 2: Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, two of the newest guys
Speaker 2: in this clubhouse, stood up and spoke. What was the
Speaker 2: mood in the clubhouse when two new guys comes into
Speaker 2: a team that already has a lot of veterans that
Speaker 2: went back to back championships.
Speaker 4: You know, Doc likes to do that early in spring hit.
Speaker 7: You know, with the new guys, he likes to give
Speaker 7: him a chance to speak, and you know, it helps
Speaker 7: everyone in the clubhouse learn who they are. And you know,
Speaker 7: the message they sent was great. They came here to win.
Speaker 7: They want to win a ring, and you know, they
Speaker 7: heard of how great organization is, how great the players are,
Speaker 7: how great the clubhouse is, you know, how great the
Speaker 7: front office is in terms of how they treat the
Speaker 7: players and the families. And they both had very similar messages,
Speaker 7: and you know it, it's exciting when you hear that.
Speaker 7: And for a lot of the guys that have you know,
Speaker 7: been here for several years, you don't forget. But it's
Speaker 7: always refreshing when you hear, you know, other players talk
Speaker 7: about what they see from from afar about you know,
Speaker 7: just the first class organization that we are and that
Speaker 7: you know, it's special to be here, and.
Speaker 4: So it's just it's just refreshing to hear that.
Speaker 2: Sometimes you fall into that category as well. You signed
Speaker 2: it to year extension. You're going to be here for
Speaker 2: at least three more seasons, including this one. It seems
Speaker 2: like a lot's been made out of the numbers that
Speaker 2: you took. But how do you react to all the
Speaker 2: attention that you've gotten to re sign with the team
Speaker 2: for two more years?
Speaker 4: You know, where else would would rather go?
Speaker 7: You know, this is the best organization in baseball, where
Speaker 7: the best team in baseball? Why would I want to
Speaker 7: go anywhere else? Because I'm greedy. No, that's not who
Speaker 7: I am. You know, I know we get we get
Speaker 7: paid a lot of money to play this game, and
Speaker 7: obviously that's comforting to know that we make a lot
Speaker 7: of money. But I never really got into this game
Speaker 7: for that reason. I got into because I love the baseball.
Speaker 7: I love to compete, I love to win, and there's
Speaker 7: no better opportunity to do that than here. And on
Speaker 7: top of that, this organization and the city really has
Speaker 7: become my family. And that was one of the key
Speaker 7: deciding factors for us was my family. You know, my
Speaker 7: kids were born in LA. They love Lay They love
Speaker 7: everything about it. They love the Dodgers. They you know,
Speaker 7: they know the all the landmarks driving to the stadium.
Speaker 7: They when we get to the stadium, they know exactly
Speaker 7: where they're going.
Speaker 2: They love it.
Speaker 7: Every time they see the color blue, they say that
Speaker 7: that's Dodger blue.
Speaker 4: And that's Dada blue.
Speaker 7: And you know, I'm not going to rip that away
Speaker 7: from them because I'm greedy. And like I said, that's
Speaker 7: just not who I am. So for me, it was
Speaker 7: such an easy decision that sure, maybe I'm leaving money
Speaker 7: on the table, there's no way of actually knowing that
Speaker 7: there's no way of knowing what other organizations might offer
Speaker 7: you out there. But for me, it's it's more than
Speaker 7: enough money for me and my family, and you know,
Speaker 7: they're set, and it's a chance to stay here and
Speaker 7: win every single year.
Speaker 4: Why would I want to go anywhere else?
Speaker 2: Do you feel like you have that perspective, because when
Speaker 2: the Dodgers called, didn't have a job at that point
Speaker 2: in time, So you've seen what it's like to be
Speaker 2: close to being out of the game to being at
Speaker 2: the pinnacle a three time World Series champion.
Speaker 4: You know, there's a little bit of loyalty there for me.
Speaker 7: You know, they took a chance on me when I
Speaker 7: was basically retired and I was pretty set on retiring,
Speaker 7: and they kind of, you know, pulled me out of
Speaker 7: the dumpster, and you know, they helped me relearn who
Speaker 7: I was and and become the player I am. And
Speaker 7: for that, I'm always going to be grateful, And you know,
Speaker 7: because of that, I want to show a little bit
Speaker 7: of gratitude towards them and not you know, I'm not
Speaker 7: trying to burn any bridges there, and it's you know,
Speaker 7: it's just a it's just a respect between both of us,
Speaker 7: the front office and me, like we've we've had such
Speaker 7: a good relationship over the years and it's going to continue.
Speaker 7: And you know that that was also another factor in
Speaker 7: deciding that I want to stay here is I've made
Speaker 7: you know, I've been very open about how i want
Speaker 7: to end my career here, but just building the legacy
Speaker 7: that I have here when I'm done playing, you know,
Speaker 7: whatever I want to do, the Docters are going to
Speaker 7: let me do. And you know that's something that kind
Speaker 7: of meant a lot to me also to just know that,
Speaker 7: you know, if I want to work for the team,
Speaker 7: if I want to, you know, just have a little
Speaker 7: side role with the team, or if I want to
Speaker 7: be a coach, or if I want to, you know,
Speaker 7: be in the front office, They're going to give me
Speaker 7: an opportunity to do that because of the relationships.
Speaker 4: That I've built here and that's something that means everything
Speaker 4: to me.
Speaker 2: Next months. He's been a big part of the fabric
Speaker 2: with the Dodgers since he burst onto the scene in
Speaker 2: twenty eighteen and has not rested on his laurels. Yourself
Speaker 2: and all the guys that were part of the team
Speaker 2: last year have come into camp ready to go day one.
Speaker 2: What did you do with your off season training to
Speaker 2: be able to be ready for this year and as
Speaker 2: you evolve as you get later in your career.
Speaker 7: Yeah, you know, I just it was a big focus
Speaker 7: on health for me, you know, trying to just do
Speaker 7: everything I can to make sure I'm healthy this year.
Speaker 4: You know, I dove a lot.
Speaker 7: Into the issues that I had, and I feel like
Speaker 7: we figured a lot of them out. I've done some
Speaker 7: you know, pretty crazy stuff, but you know, I've coming
Speaker 7: to the camp in great shape. It's the lightest I've been since,
Speaker 7: you know, twenty eighteen. Really, I feel great. And you
Speaker 7: know that was part of the reason that you know,
Speaker 7: we had good, good discussions with the front office was
Speaker 7: you know, we both understand that if I want to
Speaker 7: be here, I have to be able to pay third base,
Speaker 7: and for me to be able to pay third base,
Speaker 7: I just have to be healthier. And so yeah, that
Speaker 7: was kind of the key deciding factor. Is just I
Speaker 7: want to be able to perform. I want to be
Speaker 7: able to be an All Star again, and I want
Speaker 7: to help this team win a couple more World Series
Speaker 7: And that's just the end goal, all.
Speaker 2: Right, Muncie thanks a lot for the time, glad I
Speaker 2: got off the hook of doing any push ups today.
Speaker 2: Maybe week two of the spring training. I'll be ready.
Speaker 4: I know you're scared about it. Don't worry.
Speaker 7: I won't put you in front of the camera. I
Speaker 7: know you're scared about doing push ups. But yeah, for
Speaker 7: everyone out there, it's just.
Speaker 4: All love between me and David, but I have to
Speaker 4: give them a little call out every now and then.
Speaker 2: No doubt. You got to keep me humble. Thanks a
Speaker 2: lot for the time, of course, Max Munsey keeping my
Speaker 2: career alive. I appreciate that social media shout out, whether
Speaker 2: it's taking a shot at my lack of push up
Speaker 2: acumen or not. I'll take it, and I've I hope
Speaker 2: you have learned to appreciate Max Muncy, who has shown
Speaker 2: the loyalty. All you you want is loyalty, right, That's
Speaker 2: all I hear about players need to show more loyalty. Well,
Speaker 2: there is no more sign of loyalty than forging free
Speaker 2: agency time and time again and taking less money to
Speaker 2: sign with the team that you want to stay with
Speaker 2: and not only finish your career, your playing career, but
Speaker 2: then want to stay part of this organization. And that
Speaker 2: just speaks a lot of volumes about who Max Munsey is,
Speaker 2: his character, and certainly how much he loves being a
Speaker 2: Dodger and has that loyalty. As you heard him say,
Speaker 2: he remembers in his own words, the Dodger's basically picking
Speaker 2: him up out of the baseball dumpster and giving him
Speaker 2: an opportunity in twenty eighteen, and here he is one
Speaker 2: of just a handful of players from the twenty twenty
Speaker 2: season that is still a Dodger. Mookie Betts, Max Munsey,
Speaker 2: Keith a Hernandez Will Smith and Blake Trinin are three
Speaker 2: of the guys said stand out. Let's not even get
Speaker 2: into the pitchers, but position player wise, those are the
Speaker 2: only three from the twenty twenty season that are still
Speaker 2: a part of the Dodgers. And if you go back
Speaker 2: even further twenty seventeen twenty eighteen, guys like Cody Bellinger,
Speaker 2: Corey Seeger, Justin Turner no longer with the team, Austin Barnes,
Speaker 2: he's a non roster invite with the Mets. It's incredible
Speaker 2: just how this I don't want to call it a machine,
Speaker 2: but just how the organization in the game keeps moving forward,
Speaker 2: and the Dodgers have been so good of not having
Speaker 2: one of those huge rebuilds that takes five years, like
Speaker 2: the Phillies, like the Yankees, like some of these other
Speaker 2: teams that have championship runs and then all of a
Speaker 2: sudden fall off a cliff and take five or six
Speaker 2: years to rebuild. Andrew Friedman has always said he never
Speaker 2: wants to be in that position, and even talking to
Speaker 2: him after a Seeger and Bellinger and Turner left, what
Speaker 2: his message was is to enjoy the players while they're
Speaker 2: still here, because you don't know where the game of
Speaker 2: baseball is going to take them. And you look at
Speaker 2: a guy like Walker Bueller, you thought he was going
Speaker 2: to spend the majority of his career, He was going
Speaker 2: to finish the majority of his career with the Dodgers,
Speaker 2: and here he was, after being a World Series hero
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four, deciding to sign a one year
Speaker 2: contract with the Red Sox that did not go like
Speaker 2: he thought or the Red Sox thought, finished the year
Speaker 2: with the Phillies, never got into a playoff game, and
Speaker 2: yesterday signing a minor league contract with the Padres of
Speaker 2: all teams, and look, he's got to find a team
Speaker 2: he wants to pitch in the big leagues. He knows
Speaker 2: the West Coast. I understand all that, but it was
Speaker 2: still so bizarre and surreal to see Walker Bueller in
Speaker 2: that Padres clubhouse and after base being on this side
Speaker 2: of things, now on the Padres side of things to
Speaker 2: dethrone the Dodgers. Here was Walker Buehler in his first
Speaker 2: day at Padres camp on a minor league deal.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 13: I mean, obviously some some familiarity with the division, and uh,
Speaker 13: you know, living in southern California, something that that my
Speaker 13: family and are accustomed to, and you know, a good
Speaker 13: opportunity to be a part of a really talented ball
Speaker 13: club and you know, looking forward to to seeing what
Speaker 13: we can make of it.
Speaker 4: How are you kind of view in the spring the competition?
Speaker 4: Obviously there's there's spots available here. What do you view
Speaker 4: of the opportunity?
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean, I think largely saying I I've kind
Speaker 13: of viewed every spring and come in and try and
Speaker 13: make the team and contribute kind of any any way
Speaker 13: I can. Obviously, you know, I'm a I'm a starter,
Speaker 13: and I want to start so here to try and
Speaker 13: make the make the rotation. How do you view the
Speaker 13: last couple of years have been these really good stretches
Speaker 13: and then there's been some you know times that haven't
Speaker 13: been Yeah. I mean, you know, my elbow and my
Speaker 13: body's kind of been through some stuff, and uh, you know,
Speaker 13: kind of took a different approach and moved out here
Speaker 13: for the off season and got my body in a
Speaker 13: little bit better spot. And you know, I liked a
Speaker 13: lot of the stuff that I was kind of working
Speaker 13: on in Philadelphia and just didn't stop throwing and kind
Speaker 13: of kept kept working through some of that stuff. And
Speaker 13: I feel like the delivery is a lot closer to
Speaker 13: what it was kind of pre pre twenty two.
Speaker 5: So you don't take the end of one season into
Speaker 5: the next all the time, But do you feel like
Speaker 5: that that that.
Speaker 4: Could be for you?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know that's the plan, right.
Speaker 13: I threw the ball well over there, and you know,
Speaker 13: getting the velocity back as well as the delivery, it's
Speaker 13: kind of been the big thing. And you know, the
Speaker 13: second half of last year was was relatively successful compared
Speaker 13: to the first half, and you know, there's obviously some
Speaker 13: stuff we want to continue to build on there and
Speaker 13: get some of the you know, the velocity, the explosiveness,
Speaker 13: whatever you want to call it back. But yeah, I
Speaker 13: took this off season just a little bit different, and
Speaker 13: you know, I feel like it kind of has worked
Speaker 13: out well.
Speaker 7: It feel a little weird walking in here and putting
Speaker 7: on brown and yellow.
Speaker 13: Yeah, it feels a little weird. I imagine five years
Speaker 13: ago it would have been a lot more weird. But uh,
Speaker 13: you know, this is a crazy game, and this is
Speaker 13: a great opportunity for me to again be a part
Speaker 13: of a really talented baseball club, and uh, you know
Speaker 13: that's what I'm here to do.
Speaker 7: The rivalry obviously so heated between the Padres and Dodgers.
Speaker 4: Do you have any let yourself think about what it might.
Speaker 3: Be like to be on the other side of it.
Speaker 2: Uh no, Yeah.
Speaker 13: We'll make the team first and then try and get
Speaker 13: back into that.
Speaker 2: Oh come on, Walker Bueller, I mean, when are you
Speaker 2: this humble? You are making that team. I don't care
Speaker 2: if you sign a minor league deal or not. You
Speaker 2: are going to be part of that Padres rotation when
Speaker 2: opening Day comes around, and it is going to be
Speaker 2: interesting to see the reception Walker Buehler gets if he
Speaker 2: makes a start for the Padres at Dodgers Stadium. But look,
Speaker 2: it's been a weird career. Ever since he had his
Speaker 2: second Tommy John surgery, he just hasn't been as dominant.
Speaker 2: And you look at what he was able to do
Speaker 2: for the Dodgers in twenty twenty four, to do something
Speaker 2: he had never done or felt comfortable doing, and that's
Speaker 2: coming out of the bullpen, and he closed out Game
Speaker 2: five at Yankee Stadium and is forever linked in Dodger
Speaker 2: history as being one of the heroes of this back
Speaker 2: to back championship run. Without the first one, like I
Speaker 2: told Blake Trinin yesterday, without the first one, there is
Speaker 2: no second one. And Walker Buehler is a two time
Speaker 2: World Series champion with the Dodgers, and during this stretch
Speaker 2: of time of dominance for the Dodgers, he certainly is
Speaker 2: going to be a name in the history books that
Speaker 2: is going to stand out. That's why it's so tough
Speaker 2: for so many Dodger fans to digest the fact that
Speaker 2: he's going to be pitching for the Padres this year.
Speaker 2: And when he talked about his offseason, it was spent
Speaker 2: here in Arizona, working at Alex Bregman's training facility, a
Speaker 2: lot of baseball players trained there now, including Trek Scuoble,
Speaker 2: Cody Bellinger. Walker Bueller put in a lot of work
Speaker 2: at Nemesis Baseball in Arizona. And you know, I've exchanged
Speaker 2: text with Walker and he was being very humble because
Speaker 2: the game has humbled him. But he's very encouraged by
Speaker 2: the work he's put in and what he's seeing as
Speaker 2: far as the shape of his fastball. So we wish
Speaker 2: Walker Bueller the best, except when he pitches against the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: And you know, there is a very good chance that
Speaker 2: the Padres do make the playoffs as a wildcard team,
Speaker 2: and the Dodgers and Padres could face off in an
Speaker 2: NLDS situation and instead of Walker Bueller pitching for the Dodgers,
Speaker 2: you got playoff Walker Bueller pitching for the Padres. So
Speaker 2: that that's way down the road, but I certainly could
Speaker 2: see that happening. And here's another Walker Bueller Padres connection.
Speaker 2: Many of you may not know this, but in the
Speaker 2: short time Many Machado was a Dodger, him and Walker
Speaker 2: Bueller really connected and they kept in touch and have
Speaker 2: a tight relationship. So Many Machado being on the Padres
Speaker 2: is going to help the transition for Walker Buehller to
Speaker 2: feel more comfortable. But you know, when we get closer
Speaker 2: to that, it's going to be interesting to see who
Speaker 2: knows even Walker Buller pitching against the Dodgers in the
Speaker 2: in spring trending. That's gonna be weird too. And thanks
Speaker 2: again to ninety seven point three the Fan for bringing
Speaker 2: us all of that audio from Walker Bueller's first day
Speaker 2: in Padre camp. It's still hard for me to say that,
Speaker 2: but the Dodgers are the back to back World Series
Speaker 2: champions looking for the three peat. The Padres only finished
Speaker 2: three games behind the Dodgers last year in the NLST,
Speaker 2: and it just feels like so many of these teams
Speaker 2: that the Dodgers have taken on and beat, seems like
Speaker 2: the franchises go sideways, and it looks like the Phillies
Speaker 2: are off the rails now with everything that's being said
Speaker 2: in that camp. The Rockies were never the same after
Speaker 2: Walker Bueller and the Dodgers beat them in Game one,
Speaker 2: sixty three and twenty eighteen. The Padres, you know, have
Speaker 2: not been the same since the Dodgers beat them in
Speaker 2: the NLDS in twenty twenty four. So we'll see which
Speaker 2: way the Blue Jays go this year, and the Dodgers
Speaker 2: will see the blue Jays on their first road trip
Speaker 2: of the season. Now, I mentioned some of the Dodgers
Speaker 2: that have moved on for one reason or another. How
Speaker 2: about Justin Turner, who made it clear at his golf
Speaker 2: tournament in October or November that he did still want
Speaker 2: to play in Major League Baseball this year. But no
Speaker 2: team has signed Justin Turner, which is hard to believe.
Speaker 2: I know he's forty years old, but I know the
Speaker 2: game is trending younger, and I know, oh basically, if
Speaker 2: Justin Turner did end up on an opening day roster
Speaker 2: this year, he would be the oldest position player in
Speaker 2: Major League Baseball. There's not too many forty year old
Speaker 2: position players. Pitchers that are forty seem to get a
Speaker 2: lot more rope than position players. But there's got to
Speaker 2: be a team out there that can use the veteran
Speaker 2: leadership of Justin Turner. And look, if it doesn't work
Speaker 2: out this year, if it ends after this year, I
Speaker 2: am very hopeful that the Dodgers would sign Justin Turner
Speaker 2: to a one day contract so he could retire as
Speaker 2: a Dodger. But I know he still wants to play
Speaker 2: and he has a lot to offer this game. But
Speaker 2: sometimes the game doesn't love you back, and he wouldn't
Speaker 2: be the first player that has felt that. But he
Speaker 2: has a home with the Dodgers. He will forever be
Speaker 2: a Dodger, and we'll see where it goes with Justin Turner.
Speaker 2: But I know the fan base loves him, the Dodger
Speaker 2: organization loves him, and certainly his teammates, whether it's with
Speaker 2: the Dodgers or any other team that he's been with
Speaker 2: have really loved being around him and have appreciated Justin Turner.
Speaker 2: So a team could use him, they would be There's
Speaker 2: got to be a team with a lot of young
Speaker 2: players that he use Justin Turner. Even the Marlins, Come on, Marlins,
Speaker 2: you need a guy like that, all right. That'll do
Speaker 2: it for us on Dodger Talk tonight. Thanks for Max
Speaker 2: Munci joining us, Thanks for Andrew Friedman giving us the time,
Speaker 2: And in case you missed any of that, you can
Speaker 2: find it on the iHeartRadio app. Thanks to Ronnie Fossa
Speaker 2: for all his help, and again, the only lights on
Speaker 2: here at camel Back Ranch besides the ones on the
Speaker 2: broadcast booth are in the clubhouse storage area. That's where
Speaker 2: clubhouse manager Alex Torres still has the lights on. Maybe
Speaker 2: I'll go get a belt from him or something. You
Speaker 2: never know. I'm losing so much weight out here, I
Speaker 2: might need a new belt. We'll talk to you tomorrow
Speaker 2: night at seven o'clock. Fox Sports Radio is next. See you,