Speaker 1: This is off season Dodger Talk Winter Meetings edit.
Speaker 2: Yar now everyone's favorite Dodger insight, David Basse.
Speaker 1: Welcome to Dodger Talk. David Basse with you until eight
Speaker 1: o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 1: Can't wait to talk Dodger baseball again with you. We
Speaker 1: are going to be with you four times this week tonight, Tomorrow, Wednesday,
Speaker 1: and then again on Friday. We are your home for
Speaker 1: the NFL, so we do have Thursday Night football, so
Speaker 1: four times this week during the week of the Winter
Speaker 1: Meetings taking place in Orlando. We do have a very
Speaker 1: special guest. It's like having him in studio, but via
Speaker 1: you know, video conferencing, and that is the great actor
Speaker 1: and longtime Dodger fan born and raised in LA saw
Speaker 1: games in the coliseum, Brian Cranston is going to join
Speaker 1: us us. I had a chance to catch up with
Speaker 1: him because he's in London, England right now being the
Speaker 1: lead actor in a great play All My Sons. So
Speaker 1: we recorded a very lengthy interview earlier today that you
Speaker 1: will hear coming up in our next segment and also
Speaker 1: you will be able to see on AM five to
Speaker 1: seventy LA sports social media pages, Instagram, X, all that stuff. So,
Speaker 1: Brian Cranston is going to join us to talk Dodger
Speaker 1: baseball coming up in our next segment, and I'm not
Speaker 1: sure we're gonna have a lot of time for phone
Speaker 1: calls tonight, but we certainly will again tomorrow night at
Speaker 1: seven o'clock. And our guest tomorrow night is the man
Speaker 1: that I believe is going to be the breakout pitcher
Speaker 1: for the Dodgers this season, River Ryan. He is going
Speaker 1: to join us tomorrow night and we are going to
Speaker 1: have more time for your phone calls. It's been a
Speaker 1: great month since the parade. I have I've received all
Speaker 1: of your messages on social media. Thank you so much
Speaker 1: for the love. I did not record a single out,
Speaker 1: I did not drive in a single run. I was
Speaker 1: just there to bring it to life for you, and
Speaker 1: I really appreciate being part of the run, being part
Speaker 1: of the parade. It was awesome back to back seasons.
Speaker 1: None of us could ever dream of that, and it
Speaker 1: certainly was a great ride. And Miguel Rojas is coming
Speaker 1: back next year. I feel like Will Smith is not
Speaker 1: getting enough shine for doing what he did during the
Speaker 1: World series, but that's for another show later this week.
Speaker 1: I had a great weekend. Got to see Tommy Edman
Speaker 1: at One Way Memorabilia Shop in Monterey Park on Saturday.
Speaker 1: Brought my little son Joseph to meet Tommy Edman. He
Speaker 1: was nervous and Tommy's a great guy. But Tommy Edman
Speaker 1: had surgery on his right ankle and he was in
Speaker 1: a heavy boot on Saturday. If you saw him out
Speaker 1: there at one Way Honore Park. Thanks to my guy
Speaker 1: Jake Delance for hooking it all up. But I had
Speaker 1: a chance to talk to Tommy. He's in a boot
Speaker 1: for another three weeks, which makes me believe that he
Speaker 1: probably is going to be a little bit behind other
Speaker 1: players when spring training starts in Glendale, Arizona after the
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. But he's in great spirits. He was on
Speaker 1: a scooter if you were out there, so he can't
Speaker 1: put a lot of weight on it. He's going to
Speaker 1: be taking that boot off, he told me, in three
Speaker 1: weeks and then and then he'll be able to put
Speaker 1: some weight on that right leg. Also, yesterday had a
Speaker 1: chance to go out to Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA.
Speaker 1: There is a high school showcase. My cousin, Mike, his
Speaker 1: son was out there doing his thing, so had a
Speaker 1: chance to go say hi to coach John Savage, who,
Speaker 1: in my opinion, is the best college baseball coach in
Speaker 1: the country a major league team. If you're hiring college coaches,
Speaker 1: John Savage might be a really good pitching coach one day,
Speaker 1: or a manager. He's done incredible things with UCLA Baseball.
Speaker 1: Had a chance to say hello to one of his coaches,
Speaker 1: who coincidentally is Austin Barnes's brother, Griffin Barnes out there
Speaker 1: at UCLA. So it was a great weekend. From Monterey
Speaker 1: Park to Jackie Robinson Stadium and look, the Winter meetings
Speaker 1: are going on. Maybe the biggest news today is that
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts said that ta Oscar Hernandez is his right
Speaker 1: fielder for now. I heard Brandon Gome say as well
Speaker 1: that Taioscar Hernandez is going to be a Dodger next year,
Speaker 1: and he said he can't imagine a scenario where he's not,
Speaker 1: which is interesting. I believe the Dodgers were fielding calls
Speaker 1: for Taoscar Hernandez. Maybe that tells me they can't find
Speaker 1: a match right now. But the Dodgers are not going
Speaker 1: to shop ta Oscar Hernandez all winter. I believe if
Speaker 1: they can't trade him by Christmas, ta Oscar Hernandez is
Speaker 1: going to be a Dodger and I'm not sure. If
Speaker 1: you caught this on Instagram, you can get a lot
Speaker 1: of information about players off seasons. Taoscar Hernandez was participating
Speaker 1: in some sort of celebrities softball game over the weekend.
Speaker 1: A lot of Dominican players were out there, and Julio
Speaker 1: Rodriguez of the Mariners posted a few photos of Tioscar Hernandez,
Speaker 1: who did shave his beard. Trimmed his beard, no doubt,
Speaker 1: but it looks like he lost at least fifteen pounds,
Speaker 1: which tells me he's trying to evolve with father time
Speaker 1: to be more mobile in the outfield. So don't sleep
Speaker 1: on Taoscar Hernandez. What I can tell you about some
Speaker 1: of the rumors, and we can get into that more
Speaker 1: as the week goes along. The Dodgers did have interest
Speaker 1: in Devin Williams and Raceal and Glacias, and Glacias opted
Speaker 1: to go back to the Braves. Devin Williams opted to
Speaker 1: sign with the Mets. Robert swar to me is one
Speaker 1: of the more interesting names out there that I'm sure
Speaker 1: the Dodgers are kicking the tires on. Thirty four year old,
Speaker 1: hard throwing right hander. We know him well free agent now,
Speaker 1: Padres are not bringing him back. If he's willing to
Speaker 1: take a one year contract with the Dodgers, I could
Speaker 1: see that being a match Kennelly Jansen. I wouldn't rule
Speaker 1: that out either. He's obviously shown he would take a
Speaker 1: one year contract with the Angels. Why wouldn't he do
Speaker 1: it with the Dodgers. So two veterans that I think
Speaker 1: you should keep your eyes on. I would say Kennelly's
Speaker 1: more of a long shot. I'm not a big believer
Speaker 1: in going back to where you were before, like going
Speaker 1: back to your old girlfriend or reuniting with your ex wife.
Speaker 1: But look, Kenley would love to be a Dodger again.
Speaker 1: There's no secrets about that. If the fit's right, he's
Speaker 1: gonna come back. But I don't know the level of
Speaker 1: interest from the Dodgers' side. I'm sure they're going to
Speaker 1: talk to his agents during this winter meetings. As far
Speaker 1: as what may transpire, from what I'm being told, not
Speaker 1: a whole lot during the next couple of days. But
Speaker 1: a lot of groundwork is being laid, and I could
Speaker 1: possibly see the Dodgers and Cardinals having a lot of
Speaker 1: talks about Brendan Donovan and Lars Newpar. You know, Hein
Speaker 1: Bloom is now in charge of the Cardinals. They seem
Speaker 1: to be in a rebuild mode. They need pitching. The
Speaker 1: Dodgers have pitching. Lars Newbar can play all three outfield positions.
Speaker 1: Brendan Donovan can play second, he could play third, he
Speaker 1: could play left field. So to me, that's a match,
Speaker 1: that's a trade match. Whether or not they can come
Speaker 1: up with something remains to be seen because the Dodgers
Speaker 1: are not the only team that has interest in those players.
Speaker 1: So Lars Newpar, Brendan Donovan, those are legit conversations. We're
Speaker 1: gonna take a time out. When we come back, you'll
Speaker 1: hear my extensive conversation with Brian Cranston, who has trade ideas,
Speaker 1: wants to have my numbing trade talk with us on
Speaker 1: Dodger Talk. The great actor Brian Cranston is next right
Speaker 1: here on Dodger Talk on a five to seventy LA
Speaker 1: Sports And yeah, he has done some things in Hollywood.
Speaker 1: On stage in the theater. He may have won seven
Speaker 1: Emmy Awards, he may have won two Tony Awards. He
Speaker 1: may be the man that has brought those Owmbrace into
Speaker 1: our lives as the best mess how you'll ever taste.
Speaker 1: But first and foremost, he is a great Dodger fan
Speaker 1: and not one of those bandwagon fans that showed up
Speaker 1: a few years ago. This man has been through it
Speaker 1: and now is reaping the rewards a back to back
Speaker 1: World Series championships. And that is the one and only
Speaker 1: Brian Cranston from across the pond in London, England. Brian,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for the time and so great to
Speaker 1: do this.
Speaker 2: David. It's good to see you again. It's about nine
Speaker 2: pm at night right here and on my day off,
Speaker 2: I'm doing a play here, but I'm always ready to
Speaker 2: talk baseball all my sons.
Speaker 1: That's what Brian Cranston is starring in. It's Arthur Miller
Speaker 1: played from way back in nineteen forty seven. So I
Speaker 1: don't know whether you had a spring training for this
Speaker 1: play or not, So can we just start at where
Speaker 1: you were for Game six? In Game seven and where
Speaker 1: you were when Rojas hit his improbable home run.
Speaker 2: David. Every single game started at one ten am in London,
Speaker 2: no matter whether they were playing, and so it was.
Speaker 2: It was crushing me to be to try to sleep
Speaker 2: and then set the alarm for one am and get
Speaker 2: up out of a sound sleep and then watch for
Speaker 2: three hours and then try to go back to sleep
Speaker 2: for another hour or two before going to rehearsal at
Speaker 2: ten am. It was I was like in a daze.
Speaker 2: I was in a but you know what, I would
Speaker 2: do it again. Look looking back, what a great series,
Speaker 2: you know, back and forth? And how odd was it
Speaker 2: is that the first time maybe you know, Dave set
Speaker 2: the first time, and I believe this is true. I haven't.
Speaker 2: I didn't double check this. But didn't the visiting team
Speaker 2: win every.
Speaker 1: Game except one? The Dodgers won that eighteen inning marathon.
Speaker 1: Oh that's right, And they did win one in Toronto.
Speaker 1: They did win one in Toronto. But I think the
Speaker 1: point is is that was the greatest World Series that
Speaker 1: we have seen, maybe in our lifetimes, as far as
Speaker 1: just how competitive and the momentum swings. I mean, the
Speaker 1: Dodgers in Game seven, Brian, they could have lost four
Speaker 1: or five different times before Rojas even has that chance.
Speaker 2: The idea of Miggy Roe getting up in the top
Speaker 2: of the ninth with one out. They just needed two
Speaker 2: more outs and they got and he hits it out.
Speaker 2: Oh my, I was screaming. Now remember it's now about
Speaker 2: three o'clock in the morning, and I'm screaming, and my
Speaker 2: wife was saying, what happened, what happened, And as she goes,
Speaker 2: You're gonna wake everybody up in the whole building, and
Speaker 2: I said, I didn't care. It was it was too big.
Speaker 2: And then in the tenth when when Smith does the
Speaker 2: same thing, it was like it seemed destined. Then it
Speaker 2: seemed like it was ours. At that moment, it was like, okay,
Speaker 2: you have these two things happen in the top of
Speaker 2: the ninth and the top of the tenth. This is ours.
Speaker 2: We're gonna wrap this up.
Speaker 1: I find this so fascinating, just to see your timeline
Speaker 1: of event. It's across the globe. So eighteen innings goes
Speaker 1: on again and Freddie Freeman hits his walk off home
Speaker 1: run in the bottom of the eighteenth inning. What was
Speaker 1: Were you able to stay up the whole time? Did
Speaker 1: you take a nap between innings twelve and seventeen? I mean,
Speaker 1: what was going on.
Speaker 2: It was like I was in a It was seemed
Speaker 2: like I was in a drug and do stupor it was,
Speaker 2: you know, by that time, it was it was something
Speaker 2: like five point thirty in the morning, and I was
Speaker 2: already holding my head, going, I don't I don't know
Speaker 2: how I'm gonna make it through this day. But and
Speaker 2: the other thought, it truly came to me. If the
Speaker 2: Dodgers win this, I'll somehow make it through the day.
Speaker 2: But if they lose, oh my god, it would.
Speaker 1: Be all show's canceled.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't do it, can't do it. Tell the
Speaker 2: audience to go home.
Speaker 1: You know what's surreal about all this is how you're
Speaker 1: there in London for all my sons, but at Dodger
Speaker 1: Stadium for those three games. And I believe even throughout
Speaker 1: the entire postseason in the highlights and hyping up the
Speaker 1: crowd at Dodger Stadium with Dodger visions. So you may
Speaker 1: not have been physically at Dodger Stadium, but certainly your
Speaker 1: spirit was and your voice.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm happy to be a sliver of a
Speaker 2: part of the celebration. It was fun to do. And
Speaker 2: as you said, David. I was born and raised in
Speaker 2: Los Angeles, so this is my team. I was born
Speaker 2: in nineteen fifty six. My first Dodger game was in
Speaker 2: nineteen sixty one when I was five and a half
Speaker 2: years old, and it was at the La Coliseum. I
Speaker 2: don't remember much of it. I went with my older
Speaker 2: brother and my father, and I just remember the the
Speaker 2: It was huge, there was a lot of celebration going on,
Speaker 2: and it was probably the first time I ever felt that.
Speaker 2: But I did remember one thing, and that was the
Speaker 2: name of a of a Dodger player called Wally Moon.
Speaker 2: Remember Wally, And it was the first shot as a
Speaker 2: as a young boy that I thought, oh, so his
Speaker 2: name could be the same as as something else. You know.
Speaker 2: It's like my name was Brian, but there's no object
Speaker 2: for a star name Brian. So so I just didn't
Speaker 2: understand that, and so that I remembered that name, and
Speaker 2: as Vince Gully dubbed him the Moon shots that he
Speaker 2: used to hit like a chip shot over the screen
Speaker 2: in left field because they didn't want to pitch to
Speaker 2: the inside. He was a left handed batter, and and
Speaker 2: I was so impressed with that and the and the
Speaker 2: symbol behind that. It was what it meant to hit
Speaker 2: a moonshot was to overcome an obstacle. Here's a dilemma.
Speaker 2: How do you do this? How do you figure out
Speaker 2: this problem? And he figured out the problem, and so
Speaker 2: I was so enamored by that that I named my
Speaker 2: production company Moonshot Entertainment.
Speaker 1: No kidding, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, wow, wow, that's awesome.
Speaker 1: What a tip of the cap to Wally Moon and
Speaker 1: well the Moonshot Well Colisseum, Brian, you remember obviously what
Speaker 1: it was. The Colisseum had a short porch. Yeah, two
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty feet away enough, and I don't I
Speaker 1: forgot how high that screen was that Wally Moon used
Speaker 1: to hit him over.
Speaker 2: It was about forty four feet tall the screen because
Speaker 2: it was so short. Now, center and right field were enormous,
Speaker 2: they were vast, and so they didn't want to give
Speaker 2: left handed hitters that freedom to hit and run like crazy.
Speaker 2: So they used to pitch a little outside to left
Speaker 2: handed hitters and force them to hit to left field,
Speaker 2: hit off the screen, and the most they'd get as
Speaker 2: a single because it was so short. But yeah, he
Speaker 2: figured out how to solve a problem, and I was
Speaker 2: very impressed with that.
Speaker 1: So Brian Cranston. When you used to go watch Wally
Speaker 1: Moon and the Dodgers at the coliseum. We have heard
Speaker 1: the stories of fans like yourself and your dad that
Speaker 1: would bring their transistor radio to the Colisseum and you
Speaker 1: could actually hear Vin Scully's call throughout the Colisseum and
Speaker 1: eventually at Dodger Stadium. Do you remember those memories vividly
Speaker 1: of hearing Vin Scully for the first time.
Speaker 2: It's indelible. Once you hear Vin Scully, it becomes part
Speaker 2: of your life. And he was with Brooklyn, as we know,
Speaker 2: and so he came out. And that's all I knew
Speaker 2: was Vin Scully since the very first time I heard
Speaker 2: his voice. And you know, I didn't have a great childhood.
Speaker 2: It was probably not as bad as some worse than others,
Speaker 2: but I knew that during the three hours that I
Speaker 2: was listening to a Dodger game with Vin Scully's voice,
Speaker 2: at least during that time, all was well and he
Speaker 2: was able to paint a picture and allow me, as
Speaker 2: a young boy, to escape the hardships that I was
Speaker 2: feeling and be able to fantasize about being a baseball player.
Speaker 2: Myself and what that would be like. And I remember
Speaker 2: sneaking in my transistor radio with my little ear plug
Speaker 2: and I used to put it down my sleeve and
Speaker 2: I and I would would hold it up to my
Speaker 2: ear in class. Because in the sixties, all the all
Speaker 2: the World Series games that he used to announce, they
Speaker 2: were all during the day. There are very few night
Speaker 2: games in the World Series. And so all through the
Speaker 2: sixties I used to listen to to Vin do the
Speaker 2: the World Series games and any day games that happened
Speaker 2: to be, you know, like the Businessman special games they
Speaker 2: used to have in in midweek, and you know, I mean.
Speaker 2: And I was fortunate enough about eight years ago, just
Speaker 2: a couple of years before he retired, UH to be
Speaker 2: able to present Vin with the ESPN Award for Broadcaster
Speaker 2: of the Century, you know. And and I was able
Speaker 2: to do that. And I was actually doing a play
Speaker 2: in New York at the time, but it was on
Speaker 2: a Sunday night, So I flew out Sunday morning to
Speaker 2: be in Los Angeles to do this award. And then
Speaker 2: as soon as it was over, I got on a
Speaker 2: red eye and flew back to New York so I
Speaker 2: could be in the show the next day, so but
Speaker 2: it was worth it.
Speaker 1: Amazing.
Speaker 2: He was my hero. I was able to bring my
Speaker 2: daughter and my daughter to meet him, and she grew
Speaker 2: up with him, and they took some pictures together and
Speaker 2: those are cherished memories.
Speaker 1: Wow. That gives me chisen. I feel like part of
Speaker 1: the reason why people love what you do, whether it's
Speaker 1: you know, on TV and the movies or on stage,
Speaker 1: is because of how relatable you are. And for people
Speaker 1: like myself who grew up my entire life in the
Speaker 1: San Fernando Valley, that's all very relatable twenty years later obviously,
Speaker 1: but I mean we all listened to him, and I
Speaker 1: did the same thing. I would have the radio go
Speaker 1: on until I went to bed. I mean that was
Speaker 1: my comfort, yeah, going to sleep.
Speaker 2: Well games, going to the stage. Yeah, how many times
Speaker 2: I've gone, hundreds of times. I'd always want to bring
Speaker 2: a radio to listen to Vin, you know. I mean
Speaker 2: that was that was just part of it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I don't know if this is me just
Speaker 1: being too nostalgic, but I do wonder what it would
Speaker 1: sound like if Vin would have called that Rojas or
Speaker 1: will Smith home run or Freddie's Grand Slam, those are
Speaker 1: the things that sometimes go through my mind because Chick
Speaker 1: hern and Vin Scully to me brought the Dodgers and
Speaker 1: Lakers to life for all of us.
Speaker 2: They sure did. And even you know, even King's Hockey
Speaker 2: Bob Miller was was a terrific annouswer as well. We
Speaker 2: really got very lucky here in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1: Brian Cranston, you're so excited about this Dodger team, but
Speaker 1: everybody always wants more. I'm not sure if you experienced
Speaker 1: this in the in Hollywood, but yeah, you were great
Speaker 1: in this show, but we want more. What are you
Speaker 1: gonna do next? And it feels like that's the Dodgers
Speaker 1: as well. You went back to back World Series championships
Speaker 1: for the first time in franchise history, but we want
Speaker 1: a three peat. And Brian Cranston is so excited about
Speaker 1: playing Andrew Friedman.
Speaker 3: Maybe one day he will, but you you actually feel
Speaker 3: like you have some hot stove in you to maybe
Speaker 3: pull off and solidity three pete.
Speaker 2: I do I have some proposals?
Speaker 1: You have a Miritt down.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Uh. One proposal is in house, so no trades,
Speaker 2: and then there's a there's a couple of trade proposals.
Speaker 2: But I first started with, you know, every Dodger fan,
Speaker 2: and I've talked to many, and they're so remarkably intenseligen
Speaker 2: about it, and so you're passionate about it, but you
Speaker 2: also have to be sensible and a realistic. When we
Speaker 2: were kids making these fantasy trades in our heads, they
Speaker 2: always favored the Dodgers by a long shot. You know,
Speaker 2: why don't we just trade so and so? And it's like, oh,
Speaker 2: come on, but now you have to be realistic in
Speaker 2: my fantasies. I'm being realistic. So I first started with
Speaker 2: what we know. Last year, our outfield was Conforto, Paz,
Speaker 2: and Hernandez left or right right. The only let's be honest,
Speaker 2: the only good defensive player was Paz. Okay, it will
Speaker 2: not be the same this year. We cannot. Conforto was well.
Speaker 2: He was a low cost experiment. It just didn't work
Speaker 2: and he's gone and I wish him well. I heard
Speaker 2: he was a good guy. Pahz started out cold at
Speaker 2: the plate and then he got red hot at mid
Speaker 2: season and they got cold again. So we're going to
Speaker 2: look for a little more consistency out of him and
Speaker 2: Hernandez ended up with what twenty five home runs, which
Speaker 2: is great, but I think he struck out too much
Speaker 2: and he didn't get enough walks, so his on base
Speaker 2: percentage I think was down and and so. But the
Speaker 2: biggest thing about him is that the Dodgers cannot, must,
Speaker 2: not will not put him out in right field again.
Speaker 2: He was a defensive liability to us. And you know,
Speaker 2: I can say that. You you have to talk to him,
Speaker 2: but I can say that, and and we know that
Speaker 2: to be true. The War numbers explain that specifically he was.
Speaker 2: I think he was thirty three out of thirty six
Speaker 2: right fielders in it.
Speaker 1: And so one of the defensive right fielders. You're right,
Speaker 1: and man ta Oscar is one of my favorite people.
Speaker 1: So I'm racing myself for what's coming here.
Speaker 2: Well, okay, but see why I wasn't when he played
Speaker 2: left field a year and a half two years ago.
Speaker 2: Why was it hidden? Is right field really that much
Speaker 2: more demanding? And I suppose it is. But when he
Speaker 2: was in left field, we didn't really talk about his
Speaker 2: defensive liability very much. It was really his offense was
Speaker 2: so good and he was he was an adequate outfielder
Speaker 2: in left field. So the way to do it, because
Speaker 2: we have a hole in left field is to move
Speaker 2: Hernandez back to left field, plant him there, leave him there,
Speaker 2: and I think he's more comfortable there, and I think
Speaker 2: he'll he'll be more comfortable and that'll equate to him
Speaker 2: at the at the plate. So now we have a
Speaker 2: we have a hole in right field, right which which
Speaker 2: leads me to this next thing, sill in house. No
Speaker 2: no trades yet, Mookie Bets is his Mookie Bets. If
Speaker 2: you were to asked Dave and David, I'm asking you
Speaker 2: because you talked to him, is Mookie happy and comfortable
Speaker 2: at shortstop?
Speaker 1: Can you answer that he's a happier person player at shortstop.
Speaker 1: He wants to be on the infield the rest of
Speaker 1: his career.
Speaker 2: Do you think, Okay, now that's like, what's seven more
Speaker 2: years under a Dodger contract?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I have aunt him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, do you think he can sin seven more years?
Speaker 1: I feel like, as you know, shortstop is the most
Speaker 1: demanding position, unprecedented for a thirty a player over thirty
Speaker 1: to go from right field to shortstop. I feel like
Speaker 1: in his future, maybe not in twenty twenty six, but
Speaker 1: beyond second base is a is a compromise. But I
Speaker 1: know what you're saying many others feel the same way.
Speaker 1: Just put Mookie back in right field.
Speaker 2: Well, the other question I have is, because it's so demanding,
Speaker 2: probably would you say that a catcher or a shortstop
Speaker 2: is the most demanding position role?
Speaker 1: I would say catching, But then outside of that, shortstop
Speaker 1: would be right.
Speaker 2: Do you think that Mooki was so focused on being
Speaker 2: a becoming a really really impressive great shortstop defensively? Do
Speaker 2: you think that hurt him offensively?
Speaker 1: I would say no, because in twenty four he was
Speaker 1: on his way to winning the MVP playing shortstop. His
Speaker 1: offense was really good before he broke his hand on
Speaker 1: a pitch that hit him and he missed six weeks.
Speaker 1: So I would say he was better at shortstop. But still,
Speaker 1: as you know, it's a position that there's so many
Speaker 1: nuances that if you need to play it at this
Speaker 1: level you've had to play your whole life. But I
Speaker 1: feel like he's done an adequate enough job. I mean,
Speaker 1: they won the World Series, he had an unassisted double play,
Speaker 1: So I think he's staying. I think he's staying at
Speaker 1: shortstop in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2: Okay, which leads me to another question directly to you
Speaker 2: for all of us. I'm representing Dodger fans now when
Speaker 2: I'm pumping you for questions.
Speaker 1: That's a great ray.
Speaker 2: Alix Freeland ready to be a major league shortstop in your.
Speaker 1: Mind, No, Alex Freeland is not the answer I would.
Speaker 1: I'm a big advocate for the Dodgers pursuing bo Baschett
Speaker 1: because he could play second, he could play short, he
Speaker 1: can play third base. So I feel like bo Bashett
Speaker 1: would be great for not only this year but beyond.
Speaker 1: And he's only twenty eight years old.
Speaker 2: Right, that's an interesting, interesting thing. It's going to cost
Speaker 2: him quite a bit, but the Dodgers don't seem to
Speaker 2: worry too much about costs. Now, if if that's a situation,
Speaker 2: we find someone else to do. And because I was thinking, now,
Speaker 2: here's what I would think if we if we go
Speaker 2: outside with a trade instead of going free agency and
Speaker 2: bringing back Cody Bellinger or something like that, which.
Speaker 1: I'm I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 2: Those those two years were brutal when you know on
Speaker 2: twenty one and twenty two brutal, and I don't I'm
Speaker 2: with you, I thank you.
Speaker 1: It's time to turn the page. I mean, Cody's moved
Speaker 1: on the Dodgers that moved on. Yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 2: I agree with that. So here's two trades that won't
Speaker 2: cost the Dodgers a lot in the sense of money. Okay,
Speaker 2: so we have right field open, uh if we if
Speaker 2: we move ta Oscar to left, or or we trade
Speaker 2: ta Oscar. Oh, come on, now, stay with me for
Speaker 2: a second. Ye, trade Taoskar to the Guardians for Stephen Kwan.
Speaker 2: Put Kwan in left Taos. I think the Guardians would
Speaker 2: go for this because I think they have five Their
Speaker 2: five outfielders are all left handed and they don't have
Speaker 2: much power, and so they needed a power right handed bat,
Speaker 2: so they might go for that. Stephen Kwan has like
Speaker 2: two years left, Ben, I think, does ta Oskar have
Speaker 2: two years left on his contract?
Speaker 1: I think something like that at a higher price tag at.
Speaker 2: A higher price tag, exactly right. And the reason I
Speaker 2: say that is get Stephen Kwan for a couple of years.
Speaker 2: The two top Dodger farm hands are both outfielders that
Speaker 2: might really make a statement, but not this year and
Speaker 2: maybe not next year. Right, it's going to be maybe
Speaker 2: twenty seven.
Speaker 1: Yes, and maybe as we've seen, you're you're still uh,
Speaker 1: you're still a prospect until you prove otherwise. So a suspect.
Speaker 1: We've seen a lot of guys that are supposed to
Speaker 1: be the next big thing that have not turned out
Speaker 1: to be the next biggest.
Speaker 2: So true, Kershaw has has told us that over and
Speaker 2: over again. Where is he pitched in the minors? Not
Speaker 2: the same thing, you know, it's not the same thing.
Speaker 2: It's a totally new game, and you do have to
Speaker 2: prove yourself. But here's so, here's the trade. So if
Speaker 2: you take Taosca to the Guardians for Stephen Kuan and
Speaker 2: now Kwan doesn't hit home runs really, but he has
Speaker 2: a huge on base percentage and his defense is superb.
Speaker 2: So so what you do then is that you move
Speaker 2: Pahz to right which is his natural position, right field,
Speaker 2: and you make a trade with the Twins for Buxton
Speaker 2: Trey Alese call high song. Kim propects. You got three
Speaker 2: more years of Buxton, who's an excellent fielder and a
Speaker 2: big bat. Okay, you got three years of him. You're
Speaker 2: gonna have to get You're gonna have to give him
Speaker 2: Jackson Ferris or Mike Surra. Oh, come on, you're gonna
Speaker 2: have to do. But listen, what.
Speaker 1: Do you what do you value more? What's the most
Speaker 1: important thing in a player? Availability? Byron Buxton has only
Speaker 1: played two full seasons in his career. His injury list
Speaker 1: is longer than your credits. That that's how long it is.
Speaker 1: So you're I don't feel like he's an Andrew Friedman
Speaker 1: type of guy. He's injury prone, great player when he's
Speaker 1: on the field, but look, Stephen Kwan is on the
Speaker 1: Dodgers radar, but Cleveland is a tough front office. To
Speaker 1: make a trade with Pa has to right field, makes sense,
Speaker 1: Tommy Edmund could playing left field. Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals,
Speaker 1: Lars new Bar of the Cardinals very available as well.
Speaker 1: So I feel like you're on the right track. But
Speaker 1: I'm not sure which piece of the puzzle Andrew Friedman
Speaker 1: is going to go for to improve the outfield and
Speaker 1: somehow get younger if possible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean Buxton's only thirty.
Speaker 1: One, but a body that's like thirty eight. I mean
Speaker 1: he has had a lot of injuries.
Speaker 2: To counter that you just said. When he plays, when
Speaker 2: he's healthy, he's excellent. And you have you know, Haisong Kim,
Speaker 2: who has yet to prove himself. You have either Serota
Speaker 2: or Farris to prove themselves. We don't know, and you're
Speaker 2: going to have to give up something to get to
Speaker 2: get that defense. But just imagine for one second, just
Speaker 2: imagine the defense. We'd have the best defensive outfield in
Speaker 2: all of baseball and without sacrificing offense either. Think about that.
Speaker 1: I love it. I love it if if he stays healthy,
Speaker 1: all right? And Steph Kwan I like that too. Do
Speaker 1: you what's your bonus trade? You told me you had
Speaker 1: a bonus trade. Was the Buston trade? The bonus trade
Speaker 1: the Supervills?
Speaker 2: No, the Buston trade was part of the if we're
Speaker 2: moving ta Oscar, if we're gonna if we're gonna move him.
Speaker 1: Oh then, by the way, Oscar Hernandez was spotted in
Speaker 1: Miami and he looks like he's been putting in a
Speaker 1: lot of off season work already. He looks at least
Speaker 1: twenty pounds later.
Speaker 2: Wow. Cool, I mean, I mean there's a lot of
Speaker 2: inside information that obviously fans don't have that.
Speaker 1: Oh does Brian Kriston has all the information?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Sure, he's trying to play like he's out of touch.
Speaker 1: Actor in London doesn't have a pipeline. Andrew Friedman.
Speaker 2: Okay, here here is a total fantasy, never will happen.
Speaker 2: Trade Derek Scoogle Tarek Scougel to the Dodgers for Emmett
Speaker 2: Sheen and Justin Robleski.
Speaker 1: That's it, that's all You think the Tigers would.
Speaker 2: Want, Well, remember one more year and he's a free agent. Yes,
Speaker 2: so they got They have to think smart as well.
Speaker 2: We're giving them two proven major leaguers, both extremely young,
Speaker 2: to step in. Now, you might have to sweeten that
Speaker 2: deal with the prospect as well, just to fill it
Speaker 2: a little bit, but not necessarily a top prospect. But
Speaker 2: you have two young major league talent to get Tarek Scoogel.
Speaker 2: Can you imagine that st arding rotation?
Speaker 1: That would be the dream trade. That would be the
Speaker 1: dream trade. The Tigers are listening, I think, just to
Speaker 1: see what is out there from the Mets, the Dodgers
Speaker 1: and other teams. But they're trying to win, so I
Speaker 1: feel like if they're out of contention at the trade deadline.
Speaker 1: Brian Cranston, though, that trade definitely would be on the table.
Speaker 2: Scooball ya, I'm a motor. Snell glasno sasaki Otani.
Speaker 1: Okay, how about this, I'll take it another step for further.
Speaker 1: If the Tigers don't trade Schooble this year, would you
Speaker 1: advocate for the Dodgers to sign him when he's a
Speaker 1: free agent or do you feel like they've allocated enough
Speaker 1: to their starting pitching.
Speaker 2: Hmmm, that's interesting, you know it. It's hard to predict
Speaker 2: what's going to happen or where were what conversation we're
Speaker 2: going to have a year from now after how Dodgers
Speaker 2: win back to back to back. This is gonna be
Speaker 2: a three.
Speaker 1: Pat with these trades.
Speaker 2: Three peat, it's possible.
Speaker 1: I feel like there's just some tweaks that Dodgers have
Speaker 1: to make, and they are trying to get younger. They
Speaker 1: are listening on what teams are offering for Taoscar Hernandez.
Speaker 1: But I feel at the end of the day, you're
Speaker 1: gonna see a better Taoscar. And what Brian Cranston said
Speaker 1: is one hundred percent doable. Just move Tayo back to
Speaker 1: left field. That'll solve a lot of problems.
Speaker 2: It really it really. He seems so much more comfortable
Speaker 2: and I don't even remember any conversation questioning his defense
Speaker 2: when he was in left I know nobody.
Speaker 1: He made a great throw to throw out John Carlos
Speaker 1: Stanton in Game five of the World Series in twenty
Speaker 1: four I mean he was he was really good and left. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Can you give us some hope that all my sons
Speaker 1: is coming to Broadway or Los Angeles? Can I come
Speaker 1: see my guy, Brian Krantzt to go to London.
Speaker 2: You have to come to London for now. We're here.
Speaker 2: Until we're here until the first week of March. I'm
Speaker 2: going to try to see if I can get over
Speaker 2: to see some spring training games. But that that's my hope.
Speaker 2: But this, you know, I mean, I'm like an island
Speaker 2: over here. Everybody wants to talk soccer and I'm got anybody.
Speaker 2: Nobody loved baseball, you know, it's like, is that like cricket? Hell?
Speaker 1: Did you bring a Dodger hat with you to London?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2: Sure. I wore it on my couch from one am
Speaker 2: to three am. Oh my god. But what a what
Speaker 2: a World Series? That was so exciting. I think, you know,
Speaker 2: we're talking about getting younger. There's gonna be contracts coming
Speaker 2: to an end within the next two years. That I
Speaker 2: think that's when they're going to make a shift.
Speaker 1: And when I say younger, not like twenty two like
Speaker 1: you're talking about with some of these prospects. There's way
Speaker 1: to get younger twenty seven, twenty eight, because if you
Speaker 1: get too young too soon, then all of a sudden
Speaker 1: you're stuck with a lot of rebuilding pieces. And that's
Speaker 1: not what the Dodgers are going to do now.
Speaker 2: Dodgers retool, we don't rebuild.
Speaker 1: Can I ask you this question, Yeah, since you've seen
Speaker 1: it all in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, like we're
Speaker 1: talking about, they're here to win a three peat? Is
Speaker 1: this Is it overstating that since twenty thirteen this is
Speaker 1: the best stretch of consistent time in Dodger baseball history.
Speaker 1: I mean, I love Garby, Loebs, Rustling, say Oral and Fernando,
Speaker 1: but I feel like this is really the goal an
Speaker 1: age of Dodger baseball. Is that overstating things?
Speaker 2: Well, I would I wouldn't say that it's overstating it.
Speaker 2: Certainly younger generations, this is what they know. You know,
Speaker 2: after the eighties we had eighty one and eighty eight,
Speaker 2: but after that there was there was a long stretch
Speaker 2: of dry road. It was. Yeah.
Speaker 1: It's like from Darryl Strawberry to uh Gary Sheffield would yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2: It was. It was tough. It was tough, but baseball
Speaker 2: is tough. Now. Here's here's the thing. I hope, I
Speaker 2: hope the Dodgers never ever go back to a five
Speaker 2: man rotation. I think what the Japanese players that brought
Speaker 2: in is smart and it's much more health conscious. We're
Speaker 2: we're looking at these kids when when I was a kid,
Speaker 2: nobody threw a hundred. It just wasn't. It wasn't possible. No,
Speaker 2: Ryan was the first one to come up and it's like,
Speaker 2: oh my god. Yeah, and that wasn't he wasn't hitting
Speaker 2: that all the time. Now every kid is hitting that,
Speaker 2: and every starting pitcher. There's no more complete games. No
Speaker 2: one's looking for a complete game. They're throwing as hard
Speaker 2: as they possibly can for six innings.
Speaker 1: That's the goal.
Speaker 2: It's it's abnormal to ask the human body to endure
Speaker 2: that kind of stress. Look at what's happened to the
Speaker 2: Dodger pitching staff over the last few years. It's been decimated.
Speaker 2: It's and but when they've given the days off and
Speaker 2: they've gone to a six man rotation. It has given
Speaker 2: them an extra day of healing. I will also say,
Speaker 2: if you look at who was on the IL last year,
Speaker 2: almost every starter was on the IL for a stretch
Speaker 2: of time, which I think, in a weird way, benefited
Speaker 2: the Dodgers. Come October, when was out Freddie was out,
Speaker 2: and Munsey was out, and I mean and Edmund was out,
Speaker 2: they had time to heal. Oh Smith was out. They
Speaker 2: had some time to shut down and not spend so
Speaker 2: much energy. And then here comes October and then they
Speaker 2: regroup and get it back together. We all know one
Speaker 2: hundred and sixty two is a grind and it's a
Speaker 2: gauntlet of pain. You got to make it through that
Speaker 2: in order to get to October. So I'm saying, let
Speaker 2: them go on the al, bring kids up, see how
Speaker 2: they do in June July. Let if you got a
Speaker 2: risk injury, go on the ten day. Don't even question playing,
Speaker 2: go on the ten day. Shut it down a little bit.
Speaker 2: How does it feel. How do you feel You're spending
Speaker 2: more time to your family, You're saving some energy. Come back.
Speaker 2: When you come back, we're going to be stronger. It
Speaker 2: also gives Doc and the rest of the staff time
Speaker 2: to look at guys like Freeland he had a nice
Speaker 2: long run. It wasn't a cup of coffee. He had
Speaker 2: a pot of coffee, and it was like here, So
Speaker 2: it was it was you know, we we got to
Speaker 2: look at our catchers situation and you know, moving them around,
Speaker 2: and so I think it benefited us in a weird way.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean that's what the Dodgers have mastered the
Speaker 1: regular season, and they sprinkle in these young guys, especially
Speaker 1: pitching wise, to to really get them ready for the
Speaker 1: next step. And remember this name, Brian Cranston for twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six River Ryan River. Ryan will be the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty sixth version of Emmett Shean. He will be that
Speaker 1: guy for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Are you saying that because Emma Chian will be a
Speaker 2: member of the Detroit Tigers once we have.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that.
Speaker 2: No, Okay, Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 1: You're saying that, I'm not saying that. Well, he's not
Speaker 1: gonna I'd say he's gonna be a breakout star. No,
Speaker 1: he'll be like a second half guy for the Dodgers
Speaker 1: and if he needs if the Dodgers do have an
Speaker 1: injury in the first half. He would probably be one
Speaker 1: of those guys that would they're they're getting ready.
Speaker 2: I mean remember that River Ryan, Yeah, I remember that name.
Speaker 2: Come in. But but we know there's gonna be injuries
Speaker 2: and it's just how you manage that going along, So
Speaker 2: filtering in these guys getting like Gratterol back and back
Speaker 2: on board and you know, re signing, trying and if
Speaker 2: we can't maybe Phillips, you know, if we if we
Speaker 2: get him back, maybe, but adding a.
Speaker 1: Relief picture would be big for the Dodgers. A guy
Speaker 1: that's established. There's been some rumors about Robert Suarez, Ken
Speaker 1: Lee Janssen. Those are guys that could help established veterans
Speaker 1: at the end of the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, one more maybe one more yeah.
Speaker 1: Okay, I don't know how to end this conversation. I
Speaker 1: love talking to you. You've been so great with your
Speaker 1: time and on your day off, and it's awesome to
Speaker 1: hear your experiences and to share your thoughts about what
Speaker 1: the Dodgers should do and your trade ideas. It's awesome.
Speaker 1: So thank you Brian Cranston for your time. I mean
Speaker 1: we could go on and on. I mean this is
Speaker 1: like a six episode type of thing. Here come on.
Speaker 2: Well, let's just pause it then for now, and we'll
Speaker 2: pick it up another month or two.
Speaker 1: Sounds good, sounds good. After they make their big splash,
Speaker 1: I'll reach out to you.
Speaker 2: Well, let me ask you this. We're the winner may
Speaker 2: right now. Are they going to make us splash during
Speaker 2: the winter meetings? Is that your prediction?
Speaker 1: No, no, no, Lane, the groundwork, nothing splash gy in
Speaker 1: the next couple of it's but laying the groundwork, meeting
Speaker 1: with teams to possibly get it closer to the finish line.
Speaker 2: Yeah, makes sense.
Speaker 1: That's how I think that. Yeah, everybody's under one roof now.
Speaker 1: Schwarber has a good chance of signing during the winter meetings.
Speaker 1: Ron Harris Suarez, same thing. But the not Trews, I
Speaker 1: think are just trying to wait the market out, and
Speaker 1: they have specific guys they feel that they that could
Speaker 1: help the team via trade. I think the Cardinals are
Speaker 1: a good trade partner for Lars Newbar or Brendan Davin.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I see that too. They may not have to
Speaker 2: go into the free agent market to really fortify what
Speaker 2: we need to change the team for this season.
Speaker 1: Well, when you're back from London, you're done. In March.
Speaker 1: Spring training will be in full swing. I can't wait
Speaker 1: to see you a camel back ranch. We'll give you
Speaker 1: a tour. I'll pull some strings for you know, a
Speaker 1: guy by the name of Brian Cranston that I'm sure
Speaker 1: people would love to see out there.
Speaker 2: It'll be fun, it'll be fun. One more thing, Buxton
Speaker 2: is only making fifteen MILLI a year for the next
Speaker 2: three years. I'm just saying.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying, Brian Cranston, big Byron Buxton fan. I'll
Speaker 1: get you a jersey for Buxton if the Dodgers. If
Speaker 1: the Dodgers acquire Byron Buxton, I am getting a jersey
Speaker 1: for you.
Speaker 2: Hey, let me okay, one last thing before we sign up. Now,
Speaker 2: in the twilight of their careers, there's two future Hall
Speaker 2: of Famer pitchers out there that are free agents. What
Speaker 2: do you think do you think the Dodgers would bring
Speaker 2: Surezer back on a one year deal or Verlander?
Speaker 1: No chance, No, I don't believe they would bring either
Speaker 1: one of those guys in. Definitely not Sure's or after
Speaker 1: what took place in twenty one. And Verlander I don't
Speaker 1: see you know he was part of the seventeen Astros.
Speaker 2: Ah, there we go. We're still hold the grudge.
Speaker 1: Oh man, Brian, I also talking to you. Yes, great
Speaker 1: to see uh that smile out there in London. All
Speaker 1: my sons needs to come out to uh, the United States.
Speaker 1: I need to see you in action. I missed Network,
Speaker 1: you know, I need to see I mean, my favorite,
Speaker 1: my favorite show was The Studio. I mean that character
Speaker 1: that you played. It was such a surprise to see
Speaker 1: you and you did an awesome job.
Speaker 2: And yeah we're doing this second season at the Studio.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, are you doing that? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I love it, I love it. See you just broke
Speaker 1: news on Dodger.
Speaker 2: Talk broke news. Yeah, it's better than breaking wind.
Speaker 1: I'll talk to you soon. Thank you for the time.
Speaker 2: All right, thanks David.
Speaker 1: That was really special. Thank you, thank you, Thank you
Speaker 1: Brian Cranston for taking the time on your day off
Speaker 1: all the way in London, England of all places, A
Speaker 1: day off for All my Sons, which is running through
Speaker 1: March of twenty twenty six. If you're planning a vacation
Speaker 1: out there, go see it. Brian Cranston is amazing and
Speaker 1: one day I can't wait to see him on stage.
Speaker 1: I loved him in the studio incredibly. I still haven't
Speaker 1: watched a single episode of Breaking Bad, but don't tell
Speaker 1: him that. Don't tell him that I can't wait to
Speaker 1: see it. But he's a regular guy. That's why we
Speaker 1: love him. He's a regular guy. He's a Dodger fan
Speaker 1: like you, and certainly had some interesting trade ideas for
Speaker 1: Andrew Friedman. In case you missed any of the show,
Speaker 1: you can find it on the iHeartRadio app, and we'll
Speaker 1: be back with you tomorrow night at seven o'clock. We
Speaker 1: will take your phone calls, I promise from the Sports
Speaker 1: and at LA Studios. We will be broadcasting Dodger Talk
Speaker 1: again at seven o'clock right here on a five to
Speaker 1: seven to LA Sports and you can listen live on
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app. Thanks again to Ronnie Foscio. Great job
Speaker 1: back at our Burbank studios. Thanks to you for listening.
Speaker 1: We'll talk to you tomorrow at seven Sea