Want to talk at all.

How's it going, everybody?

Welcome back, Welcome back, and welcome back to my buddy, the much requested and much appreciated Ryan Garcia of Fireside Yankees.

How you doing, my man?

How is your holiday?

It was good.

Got a lot of good time with family, with my girlfriend's family, my girlfriend as well as a really really nice holiday week.

I can't complain at all.

Well, I'll tell you what.

We didn't get many presents under the tree as Yankees fans, unless you're a humongous Paul Blackburn fan, which I know some of us are.

But I thought by now by Christmas, most of the major moves would be done.

It feels like in the past, you know, guys signed at the winter meetings or maybe shortly after.

A lot of the trades, a lot of the heavy lifting, as Brian Cashman likes to call it, happens by now.

Are you surprised that we have heard very in terms of rumors lately, and are you surprised that Kyle Tucker, who a lot of people thought was gonna be getting the Juan Soto treatment this year?

If you had said last year, like who's gonna be the big free agent?

Kyle Tucker.

Are you surprised we haven't heard, like we even heard a peep about him recently?

Yeah, I mean in both categories, I'm absolutely stunned.

When it comes to the Yankees.

I mean, they tend to do a lot of their heavy lifting in December.

I think one of the most significant late off season I say late with quotation marks is Marcus Stroman when they signed him in the middle of January.

But that's really it.

I mean, they usually do a lot of their work in December, get it out early, and then the rest of the off.

Season usually tends to be pretty boring.

And then for Tucker, I mean, it is stunning that there are so many big market teams who are not willing to jump at that.

I was about a hunt.

If you had told me at the start of October Alonzo and Diaz leaves the Mets and they're not in on Tucker still, I got a significant degree, I'd be stunned.

Like it's it's crazy, No one's really that in.

You know, Mets have had a bad off season, man, I mean, look, Yankees, we haven't done much to be excited about.

But the Mets are actively hemorrhaging players and signing Yankees' cast offs.

That's that's not gonna feel great if you're a if you're a Mets fan.

Yeah, I mean again, It's one of those things where I will say, for the met fan perspective, if I had witnessed that core do what it did, I too would be like, you know what, I don't know if I love this, but at least of blowing it up like I would.

There would be a level of stink with that core that I would feel if I'd watched that scene Group twenty two of the collapse in Atlanta twenty three, the awful year twenty five, missing the playoffs with Juan Soto.

On your team like that.

I can see both sides of like I'm a cell Alonzo's gone, but I'm also glad to see the core blown up.

I could see both aisles there.

Well.

I want to talk about something tonight to get the Yankees fans a little bit excited.

And this may be unrealistic, but Kyle Tucker's still sitting out there, and I know you've been a big advocate of Kyle Tucker.

And the longer this offseason goes along, the more I think that maybe Cashman's kind of lying in the weeds for Tucker because he was looked at as kind of like the number one free agent headed into this season.

And then you know.

We have all these weird rumors about his commitment to baseball maybe not being so great, which I hadn't heard a peep about until he became eligible to get a multi hundred million dollar check.

Funny how that happens.

This is a guy who would absolutely destroy and Yankee Stadium, much like Bellinger.

He's got reverse splits, he hits better against lefties.

You love that he draws walks.

I love that he draws walks.

I'm sure the Yankees love that he draws walks.

He's got some.

Pros and cons.

You know, didn't finish the season all that strong, had some ups and downs with the Cubs.

But there's a lot to like about Tucker.

So let's kind of go through.

You know, what you like about him, what you don't like about him, and what do you think the Yankees' opinion of him is.

Right now, well, let's start with the life.

And you know, as you mentioned, he walks a lot, Well, he walks a lot, doesn't strike out a lot.

When you look at his skill set if you want to measure players contact, contact quantity and contact quality, swing decisions, plate discipline, all these things.

I mean, he lights up the stat sheet.

He is above average in contact rate above above average, and walk rate above average.

In slull percentage, he hits for good average, He hits left these and righties.

There is just nothing to sit here and go, Wow, this guy.

He's so bad at this one individual thing.

Offensively, defensively, we've seen the decline sprint speed.

We've seen a decline there too, but he still remained a really good base runner.

For the thing I'm concerned about.

It plays a little bit into theyanky opinion here too.

Why are so many teams not in Why are the Dodgers.

Not jumping at this?

Why are the Mets not jumping at this?

Why did the Phillies not consider going to this over Schwarber.

The fact that teams aren't all over this is something that is concerning.

I guess it's a little bit weird.

It's something where I don't think I have a direct worry with Tucker on the stat sheet or what she can play over the last few years.

It's more so the market knows something we don't, or the market just does not want to commit whatever he's asking for, and R they're going to be stubborn about it because with like Juan Soto, Garrett Cole, and Aaron Judge, these guys are signed in December for a reason because everyone's bitting hot for their services.

So I'm going to pull up this chat on the screen that questioned whether or not he was committed to baseball when he played half the season hurt.

You would think that somebody who's hurt and is looked at as kind of a major free agent would just sit out and just be like, you know what, I've got a track record.

But this is a guy who played through pain to try and get to the postseason that I have to respect.

That's one of the reasons actually when we talk about Trent Grisham that I'm a little bit bullish on him as a center fielder because he was playing hurt right.

His metrics were down, but he was playing with a pulled hamstring.

So if he stays healthy, I think he's going to actually get a lot better in centerfield and remain smooth af as the kids say.

But uh, in terms of Tucker, I don't know about this commitment to baseball thing.

I mean, obviously you don't want another Anthony Rendon situation or Carl Pavano or Jacoby Elsberry or or or something like that.

But I mean, how can you say that he's not committed when the guy is out there playing hurt for three months.

Yeah, and it's on a team that didn't that does not want to pay him.

That I frank he might have known did not want to pay him when he got hurt inking back in September.

Now, again, there are a couple of there's the idea, there's a stance of teams know something we don't, organizations have information on him that we don't have.

But I also think part of this is, as you alluded to, like the team who is his incumbent squad did not want to pay him.

The team before that was that was his incumbent squad or the Astros, he did not want to pay him.

And I don't think that was because he never had intentions of playing paying a good player.

From the stand point of if the player's worth, they'll pay him.

I never thought the Ashroser Cubs would hand out that type of money.

In general, I think that might be a little bit of damage control, so we'll see I mean time is obviously we're gonna get to see him play, whether it's in New York or not, and we'll get to understand whether this stuff is real or not.

But I think it's a real possibility Derek, that it's two teams that are like, hey, we just want to do damage control for why we didn't pay a guy who fans won't back.

Yeah, well, I'll tell you what.

The longer this winter goes on without a big move, it reminds me of how Cashman likes to jump in at the last second and make that deal, like when a price gets just loaded, like for instance, Mark to Share a back in the eight offseason.

Nobody expected the Yankees to sign to Share after they got c C and Burnett.

You're thinking, Okay, they solidified the rotation.

You know, they they're probably not gonna go go out and spend another one hundred and eighty million or whatever it was.

And then they surprised us and did it.

When you mentioned John Carlos Stanton last time that we had a show, how big a surprise that it was just kind of fell in their lap.

This could be a situation where if his price does come down low enough.

I mean, I could see Cashman just going cold hard facts, Hey, he's worth this X amount and he's willing to take this X amount.

Let's just go ahead and side Tucker.

Yeah.

And you know, we can even look at this pass trade deadline where it was day of and they had no answers to their bullpen issues.

I remember every single day that went by the week of the deadline and they didn't add a reliever.

I was like, you've got to be kidding me.

You've got to go do something right now, like this bullpen needs a support right now.

And deadline day swings around, and I think they added they added all through the relievers of major note they added Cabierro and I think they added Slater either the day of or the day before.

So yeah, Cashman can do a lot of work in one day or in a short period of time.

I would not be stunned to find out that, hey, Tucker's price is dropping.

The Yankees are suddenly more active in that conversation, even if you look at some of the more recent February late January three years with opt outs kind of signings, the Giants with Snell and Chapman, I remember was heavily rumored that they were not going to spend more money after getting Snell.

When it comes to even the contracts, some of the conference yankes and signed.

I mean Stroman came around in a week.

One week it was hey, Yanks are checking in on Stroman, and we all kind of go, there's no shame, there's no chants, right, And forty eight hours later he's in New York, Yankee.

So I do think these things can just kind of happen on a dime.

And we'll see with Tucker if that ends up happening here.

Yeah.

I like the point that Rich Dubbs made.

He says, if the market from Mega Tucker deal isn't there, maybe he does a prove it deal.

And I could see them doing that.

I could see them doing like a you know, a three year deal with an opt out after one too.

You know, we've seen Boris make that kind of deal with with Bellinger, right.

It gives the player some leverage, also gives them a little bit of security, gives the team you know, some options like and doesn't lock them into a long term deal.

So I kind of like that.

What are your thoughts on blocking the Martian I mean, if we do sign Tuck or Bellinger, who will talk about in a second, Dimingez is effectively a fourth outfielder.

Would you rather see him play as a fourth outfielder and maybe have his development stunted a little bit, go to the minor leagues, or maybe trade him at its lowest value.

I think there's a good argument for the keeping him as a fourth outfielder and the trading him.

So the fourth outfield argument is John Carlstan's gonna get hurt.

John Carlostan is going to miss time in twenty twenty.

There's no reported injury, but we just know that, so there's gonna be playing time there.

The Yankees had a surplus and position players at times, and I thought it was for the better of the roster.

The Blue Jays had a surplus and position players at times.

I thought it was for the betterment of their roster.

With that being said, though, if Dominguez, if his development is stunted, or if there's a trade off on the table that makes your team better, whether it's improving the rotation or improving another area roster, you've got to take it.

So in regard to trading him, I would field offers and see what you can get pitching wise.

If you can get an impact starter or a guy who takes the ball for in the postseason, I'd go do it.

If not, I'm comfortable keeping him on the roster or just having him as when somebody not if when somebody gets hurt of significance, he's there to play because at the end of the day, I don't know, there's just he's too good in my opinion to just dump him, But he's not good enough to not sign Ballinger for him, If that makes sense.

That's kind of where I'm at.

Yeah, I'm gonna pull up the Yankees forty man roster while we talk so we can just kind of look and see how things are shaken out right now.

You know, I love the Martian.

I still think he's gonna be a great player.

I still think he's got that kind of slow heart beat.

But you know, the the splits bother me.

I mean, he really really struggle against lefties.

He's not doing much better as he works on things in the in the Winter League.

Right now, I don't want to trade him.

I would much rather see him develop, you know, because Grisham's probably not coming back like assuming that there's a season at twenty seven.

I wouldn't expect Grisham to be back, but especially if the twenty seventh season gets skipped altogether or whatever, there's no way.

So I like having as much youth as possible with some talent, and I think that he's still got a long way to go, you know, in terms of development.

But I'm still a fan of the Martian.

I want to talk a little bit about Cody Bellinger.

What do you make of this whole Scott Boris asking for four hundred million.

There was a story that he's asking four hundred million for Bellinger.

We got Jack Curry also saying that no one's coming close to Bellinger's price at this point, which would lead leads you to believe his price is pretty high, because you would think teams would be lined up to pay this guy one hundred plus million.

Then the guy who writes the story after Boris complains online or whatever, retracts the story out of respect for Boris and their relationship.

I don't know what to believe here, but I think there's just as good a chance at you or I getting a four hundred million dollar as Cody Bellinger this year how about that.

I will I will say this first and foremost, I agree.

I think our odds are the same.

The trio of people discussed you have the same ods.

Of getting forged.

And I also say this, I think I would.

I would not be shocked to know that the reality is that Boris walked into at least one meeting and said, I want four million dollars if you want to get this done right now.

I agree.

So, I mean.

Scott Boris, look, he's he's a player's agent.

He's gonna do any what he can for his player to get them as much money as possible.

Do I think sometimes it's to the player's detriment.

I mean, yeah, if they're not a great player.

I don't know if it's the greatest strategy.

But that's neither here nor there.

Bellinger, I just don't think the market is there with Bellinger yet.

I just I don't think the market is gonna ever wrap their arms around a thirty year old position player who is good not great really ever, Like, I'm not sure if that's gonna happen again.

I think we just have too many bad examples.

I don't think it helps that Brandon Nibbo is traded a month ago for Marcus Simmy.

Like right, it doesn't help, It just doesn't.

I like Bellinger as a player, but I don't like him anywhere near eight years.

I don't like him anywhere near four hundred million dollars.

If he wants five years at twenty six, twenty seven a year, I think I'd be okay with that.

I still wouldn't be enthusiastic about blocking the Martian, but you know, at least, if you know Rerice gets hurt or something, you shift more, or if you want to, you know, if Stanton gets hurt, you move Judge to DH that allows Domingus to play some you put Bellinger in right.

There's a lot more configurations when you have Bellinger on the team because of his defensive prowess.

That's why I'm okay.

But anywhere near eight years is just a big I'll just pass adena.

Let's see what else we can find.

And one of those guys that we're hearing about is Austin Hayes, who I actually like.

Played with the Reds.

He hits lefties two sixty six.

Last year fifteen Homers struck out a lot walk very much, only a three fifteen on base percentage.

What are your thoughts on Austin Hayes.

Is maybe one of those like pieces that fit in kind of like how the Blue Jays had all these different pieces that they would mix and match that they tried to, you know, put together each individual game with.

I really like the idea of platuting him with Jason Now that is depending on what they do with the money they don't spend on Bellinger, as with I think any movie, you just kind of judge it alongside some other moves as well for the totality of your offseason.

But Hayes is a really good hitter against lefties.

I also like the profile of hitter for kind of what you're bringing in here, because he's a little more of a free swinger, and I think that's.

A good thing.

I think it's a good thing to have like lineup line up diversity in a sense.

His bat path, like, he's a different kind of hitter to what the Yankees have, and he's got enough power against lefties where you can't just throw him meatballs over the middle and he's gonna just you know, pop out or hit it weekly.

And you also could expect him to hit for decent average he's he's gonna be someone who you know, hits around two sixty two seventy against lefties, He's gonna hit closer to three hundred.

I mean I like the profile.

I do.

There's a there's a really good blend of skills that don't already exist in the Yankee roster.

I know that the bat and ball data isn't great on paper, but he pulls a lot of his fly balls, and against lefties he makes more contact, his quality of contacts better.

And it's a one year contract probably.

I mean Rob Rustler got one year, six million dollars.

I don't anticipate Hayes getting more than that.

So depending on how you invest around your roster, I think this could end up being a really strong offensive platoon.

Now you mentioned he pulls a lot of fly balls.

Is that necessarily a good thing for the Yankees?

Right?

I mean Death Valley has a nickname for a reason.

Yeah, I mean there's there's some concern there.

The way I would look at it with Hayes is that he's played in a lot of ballparks where he's had to really like aim it down the line.

So it's it's something where I don't think he's gonna be hurt by Yankee Stadium that badly.

And also the average kind of indicat that he's not too reliant on his fly balls or basis, because if you look at batted balls and short of my batting average, it goes line drives, ground balls, and then fly balls.

So he can clearly get his hits in other ways too, So I think there might be a little bit of a power strop.

You don't have to play him every day the way that the Reds kind of had to at times because the Reds don't have any good hitters.

But if you put Hayes against lefties, I don't think it's that big of an issue, Like I wouldn't expect in a thousand oh ps against lefties.

Maybe, but can you get me a eight fifty.

I don't think that that's a one hundred point drop from last year.

I think that's pretty attainable.

All right, Well, let's just talk off season a little bit.

Around the winter meetings time, I'm always staying up till, like I don't know, midnight, twelve thirty, checking my phone constantly, like refreshing the feed.

I feel like over the last week or two I've been playing a lot of Call of Duty and not really even paying attention to like the feed, because I feel like nothing's happening, Like I'm just being lulled to sleep, you know what I mean, what do you think is going on?

Well, first, my older brother has been locked in on like he loves the new game that just drops, So I think I'm sure you'd be happy to I gotta get the game.

I gotta get the game.

But it's boring.

I said this to you before the stream.

There's nothing to be excited about so far, and there's nothing to There's been no there hasn't been a lot of players who have gone off the board, or you're like, damn, that guy should have been Yankee.

I'm not like Cody down Tre hasn't sign, Kyle Sucker hasn't signed.

There are so many pieces that I think a lot of people at the start of the offseason would have been like, Hey, I think the Yankees can go after this guy, might get this guy.

And those guys are still out there.

So I can't even be mad, right Like, I'm not even mad about things that haven't happened, because they it could happen.

I don't like that I want to give me something.

Let me be happy or mad.

It is almost the new year and have no idea how I feel about this offseason.

Yeah, it's it's weird.

And it's not just the Yankees that are being quiet.

A lot of the big teams are being being quiet.

You wonder if the uncertainty about the twenty twenty seventh season is holding people back.

People don't want to you know, I don't I don't even know how to phrase it.

Do they not want to commit to, you know, a player that you know for a season that might not happen, do they?

I don't know.

Are guys asking too much because they want to make up for a potentially a missed season?

I mean, look at the money that relief picked.

Look, Weaver got eleven goddamn million dollars.

I mean, I just like the prices are astronomical.

Yeah, I think the reliever market to you're seeing a lot of I think teams are kind of jumping back on the hey, let's build these expensive bullpens badwagon.

I'm not sure I'm there with how I want to build my roster, but I'm not against it either.

And then when you look at kind of some previous examples of this.

You have the lockout winner, the one where twenty one to twenty two, because you have the effects of not having fans in the stands for the twenty twenty season, not having one hundred percent capacity of twenty one that off season from twenty twenty to twenty twenty one.

I mean, that is what this off season is mirroring in terms of big market teams not really being involved.

And the thing that kind of scares me is the Yankees were one of those teams who kind of sat by the sideline, and the Dodgers weren't really that involved, sure, but they had just come off for World Series in twenty at twenty twenty.

Yeah, they made some noise after the twenty twenty season financially, but you see some good contracts signed for teams, like very friendly contracts, the Korea contracts, the one I always think back on a twenty two and go man.

If the Yankees had given him that opt out laden deal and they had gotten this incredibly like this two ninety one hitter with twenty two home runs in twenty two instead of IKF Like, what would that have season been.

It's a little different.

Korea comes with some other conversations about that relationship with the Yankees.

But I don't know, man, like when it tying it back to Kyle Tucker, if he signs one of these deals and we end up like I don't hate Austin Hayes or anything like that, Like I actually liked the idea of the platoon, but if he signs a three year deal a week after we signed Austin Hayes, I'll flip.

It out upset.

Oh so bad.

Yeah, it's gonna be like picking IKF for CA yeah, or all the other short stops again.

Yeah.

I mean, I'm just ready for some action, man, And it's like the Elvis Presley song.

A little less conversation, a little more action.

I need.

I need some baseball news to uh, to.

Brighten the day.

Ryan, Thanks so much.

Everybody, go ahead and follow Ryan on all the platforms.

Fireside.

Yankees is a great watch.

I watch all the time, always great takes, and obviously great takes here tonight.

So thanks Ryan, And hopefully next time we chat, the Yankees will have actually moved the needle a little bit.

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