This is off season Dodger Talk.

Get in on the show by calling eight six six.

Hashtag Dodger Talk and now your host, David Masse, we have breaking news.

Jeff Passen has just tweeted and reported that it is the Dodgers that have signed Kyle Tucker.

Yes, Kyle Tucker reportedly is signing with the Dodgers on a short term deal.

I have a few texts out there to some of my sources with the Dodgers to see if they can tell us how many years exactly.

But Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, tweeted out about an hour plus ago, let me know when you see the white smoke.

Well, the white smoke is out.

And Kyle Tucker has chosen the Dodgers, just like sho Hao Tani chose the Dodgers, just like Yoshinobu Yama Moto chose the Dodgers, and us like Freddie Freeman chose the Dodgers among others, just like Blake Snell chose the Dodgers' last off season.

So the Dodgers take Edwin Diaz from the Mets, and in some form or fashion, in some ways, you could say they have taken Kyle Tucker from the Mets, Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, Andrew Friedman, Mark Walter have signed.

They've been aggressive.

They do not care about one hundred and ten percent tax on every dollar that they sign.

They have gone out and signed Kyle Tucker.

And we are with you until eight o'clock tonight.

Here on a five to seventy LA Sports, I had to say, Mark DeRosa, I'm sorry.

We'll have you on the show on Monday night at seven o'clock.

That's our next Dodger talk show.

But tonight with Jeff Passing tweeting this two minutes before we took the air, it is all Kyle Tucker.

It is all you, Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker.

Phone lines are open right now.

At eight six six nine to eight seven two five seventy we are going to be joined by one of Kyle Tucker's future teammates, the one and only Dalton Rushing is going to join us.

At seven point thirty, we'll get his live reaction to the news that Kyle Tucker has joined the Dodgers.

And you look at what Andrew Friedman set out to do.

He made no secrets about it.

He wanted to make the Dodger offense better than it was the second half of the year and into the postseason.

The Dodger offense was not good from June on including October.

If it wasn't for the Dodgers pitching and some timely hitting and some great defensive plays, the Dodgers many times would have been eliminated even before they got to the World Series, and a few times in Game six in Game seven, they would have been eliminated from the World Series.

Another layer to this is it's a short term contract.

Kyle Tucker is twenty eight years old, and when you hear reports that the Blue Jays were offering ten years, three hundred million dollars, and then the Mets got aggressive in a different way where they were offering four years, two hundred million dollars, which averaged out to about fifty million dollars a year.

If you're Kyle Tucker and you don't believe that five years from now that you can make another at least one hundred million dollars, this next four years five years would not have been good for you.

So he can hit the open market.

If this is a thirty four year contract, he can hit the market again at thirty two years old and make even more money.

And you know, for the Dodgers, they're not committing too many years.

They are committing just enough to feel comfortable with Kyle Tucker.

And I know many people were talking about his down year with the Cubs.

I gotta tell you, Cody Bellinger told me it's tough for a left handed hitter to hit at Wrigley Field, especially the first three months of the season.

And in twenty twenty four he only played seventy eight games, but that's because he felled a ball off his shin and broke his shins.

So those freak things happened, no soft tissue injuries.

So Kyle Tucker when he was with the Astros was one of the best hitting outfielders in baseball.

And that's the reason why the Dodgers and many or the teams that could afford him were interested.

Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number the Dodgers, reportedly, according to Jeff pass And, have signed Kyle Tucker.

No word on the contract details, but we are getting reports that it is a short term contract.

And if you look at the potential opening day lineup, for the Dodgers, I'm just going to include Tommy Edmond as healthy, doubtful that he will be ready for opening day.

But you have Sho Heo, Tani, Mookie Bets, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Kyle Tucker, Taoscar Hernandez, Max Munsey, Tommy Edmund and any form or fashion and Andy Pajes.

You got Andy Pajes in this lineup.

So the Dodger outfield now ta Oscar Hernandez and left Pajz and center, Kyle Tucker in right field.

And hold it.

If you're saying the Dodgers are going to try Taoscar Hernandez, now I would pump the brakes on that.

I would not.

I would venture to say keep Teoscar Hernandez.

We also have some other news as well that Jeff Passen reported, I mean rapid fire from passing right before Dodger talk started.

There is a three team trade that has been completed between the Rays, the Reds, and the Angels.

Former Dodger Gavin Lux is part of this trade.

Gavin Lux is headed to the Tampa Bay Rays, Josh Lowe is headed to the Angels, and brock Burke, left handed reliever, is headed to the Reds.

But the biggest news now is Kyle Tucker reportedly has signed with the Dodgers.

Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.

I just have confirmation now from an extremely good source with the Dodgers on the length of this contract for Kyle Tucker.

It's a four year contract with opt outs after year two, two and year three.

There you go, breaking news.

I am breaking that news right now.

The contract details for Kyle Tucker.

A four year contract with opt outs after year two and year three.

You are hearing that right now on Dodgers Radio AM five to seventy LA Sports.

We're gonna take a time out.

When we come back your phone calls, we have lines open.

The Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker to a four year contract eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy David Vasse, great timing on this beautiful Thursday night in the city of Angels on a five to seventy LA Sports.

I can confirm it is a four year contract with opt outs after year two and year three.

Kyle Tucker's four year contract is worth two one hundred and forty million dollars to Jeff Passing, I can do math once in a while.

When the numbers are that big, I need a little help.

Sixty million dollars an annual average salary.

The Mets were reportedly offering fifty million dollars for four years.

The Dodgers have now topped Steve Cohen with four years and sixty million dollars opt outs after years two and year four.

We have learned eight sixty six nine to eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number.

Nobody has reported the fact that the Dodgers and excuse me Tucker has optouts after year two and year three.

Nobody has reported that.

But that is fact, according to my very good sources with the Dodgers, that I got a green light to report here on Dodger Talk tonight.

Eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number.

Let's go out to Corona, Ronnie.

You're on Dodger Talk with David Massey.

Ronnie, did this does this blow your mind?

I mean, the Dodgers just don't stop, and I mean this is the greatest Aaron Dodger baseball and they just make it better.

How you doing, DV, I'm doing great, I said, Let's keep ruining baseball, right.

Yes, let's keep ruining baseball.

Look, uh, if the Mets wanted Tucker, they could have gone to sixty million dollars.

The Dodgers said, you know what, We'll take your fifty and we'll add ten more.

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

I mean, just hearing the announcement a few minutes ago, so exciting.

And I cannot wait to see this team, this lineup, it's amazing.

I'm just so excited, no doubt.

I mean, it is such a deep lineup and there is no reason to trade anybody this year.

Let's the Dodgers are intent on trying to make this a three peat.

And I think this.

I believe this is a perfect fit for Kyle Tucker because if he goes to the Mets, the New York pressure cooker is going to crush him.

There's going to be a lot of expectations.

They're going to compare him to Soto, to uh to Otani.

If he were to get this fifty million dollar contract with the Dodgers, He's one of six seven stars on this team.

Do I believe Tucker's elite?

No, I don't believe he's elite.

I don't when you talk about elite, you're talking about Otanijan Soto type guys.

You're talking about Trek Scougle, Paul Sken's type of guy.

But he's very, very good and he is going to be even better with the Dodgers, and you know being in this lineup will make him better.

And like I mentioned earlier in the show, people are trying to poke holes, and that's what happens in these situations.

You try to poke holes in a guy's game.

The reality is being a left handed hitter at Wrigley Field is not easy.

And you look at Cody Bellinger's numbers a couple of years ago compared to what they were last year at Yankee Stadium night and day, home and road, night and day.

You look at twenty twenty four, the guy filed a ball off his shin, broke his shin.

Freak accident, it happens.

But prior to that he was one of the best hitting outfielders and many people were counting down to when he was going to be a free agent.

The one thing, you know, I'm not just gonna be here like being a Homer.

The one thing is Kyle Tucker still has something to prove in the playoffs.

He's a two thirty three playoff hitter.

He hit one ninety in the twenty two World Series.

But he doesn't have to carry the Dodgers.

He just needs to be a piece of the Dodgers.

Eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.

Kyle Tucker is a Dodger.

Let's go out to Aaron in San Diego.

You're on Dodger Talk.

How you doing, Aaron?

Great?

Dave?

How are you?

I'm doing great?

I mean they signed Kyle Tucker and ta Oscar Hernandez will be moving to left field.

All right, Well, hey, uh, I don't know if he mentioned it to you earlier.

I'm the guy who ran into Dulton, Russian and uh down in Mexico this weekend.

But my question is how is this going to affect second base?

Obviously Edmunds had has his challenges with his injuries and and we don't have a firm solution there.

But what I mean, what is gonna be that that solution going forward?

And also going back to Dalton.

I know the Dodgers, you know, obviously adults have worked him out and trying to get him into the outfields, get more at that.

Where you know, how.

Does this affect the young guys and the prospects coming up and the second base problem that we have.

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

Tommy Edman was trying to play on this bad ankle for the last two years.

He finally had surgery on it.

So he may not be starting the season at second base, but he's going to play a lot of second base.

And oh, by the way, is a goal glover at second base three years ago with the Cardinals.

So once he comes back, he's gonna play second base.

He is going to kick out to the outfield whenever you need to give Andy pae As a breather.

His son Cam is part of that second base equation.

Miguel Rojas is part of that second base equation.

The Dodgers signed this kid from the Tigers, Andy Abanyez, who's really good defensively, so they are they have more than enough guys to cover the beginning of the season without Edmund, And when Edmund comes back, you got a really good second basement goal glove caliber that can also play third base.

If Monthcy for whatever reason gets injured, and so Canabanyaes.

I don't believe there's any problems right now with the Dodgers, Aeron, It's as far as the young guys go.

Rushing is the Dodgers backup catcher and is going to play a lot of first base this year to give Freddy Freeman days off.

He's thirty seven going on thirty eight.

So Rushing looked very comfortable at first base last year.

Okay, all right, all right, sounds great.

I appreciate it.

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

We'll see if Rushing remembers you.

Let's go out to Culver City.

Saul, you're on Dodger Dog.

How excited are you that, Kyle Tucker?

After all, this is a Dodger.

Not really excited.

I actually think it's the Dodgers sitting the standard here in LA.

Actually, I think every franchise, as a professional franchise in Los Angeles doesn't compete with their league.

They compete with the Dodgers.

And what they're showing right now is that they're not letting things stand still.

They're progressing.

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

They're showing MLB that they are the standard.

They're showing La that if you want to be great and you want to be noticed, do what the Dodgers do.

I don't have a problem in signing Kyle Tucker.

I think it's a similar contract to what they did for Bryce Harper.

I love it.

I don't care about the price.

The opt outs are great because he doesn't have the focal point of the offense Cherry the Dodgers the way Gavin looks at a few years ago.

You don't have to do it all the time.

Just come in, do your part, and we'll be happy with that.

All right, Saul, thank you for the phone call.

Yeah, great memory.

This seems similar to what the Dodgers offered Bryce Harper before he eventually signed with the Phillies back in what twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen.

I'm not sure it was sixty million dollars a year, but it was a huge annual average salary.

So the Dodgers have been down this road before.

And the Dodgers also don't give out no trade clauses, but they do include opt out clauses, and as I reported earlier in the show, the Dodgers have given Tucker and opt out after year two and year three of this contract.

Tucker is going to turn twenty nine years old in two days.

So if he decides that, you know what, I've blown up with the Dodgers, I could hit the open market again and make even more double down.

I can opt out after two years.

So that's beneficial to him, and it's beneficial to the Dodgers if things don't work out the way that they envision with Kyle Tucker.

They're only stuck with him for four years, and the Dodgers have been able to carry dead weight of Carl Crawford and other players and have found a way to continue to win.

So a four year contract if it doesn't go so well, I think the Dodgers are one of those teams that can absorb it.

But this is going to be a breath of fresh air for Kyle Tucker.

He's getting out of Wrigley Field, which is not friendly by any means to left handed hitters.

And Kyle Tucker just has to be a piece to the Dodger offense, which struggled the second half of last season and into the postseason.

So you're looking at a guy that is a upgrade defensively in your outfield you're moving ta Oscar Hernandez to left field, where it will be an upgrade from what we saw in right field from Taoscar Hernandez, and you're giving Andy Pajez a second full year in center field.

My only question is the Dodgers may be starting to get a little full with pitching.

I know we always talk about how you don't have enough pitching.

Are the Dodgers getting a little full on their forty man roster with some of these pitchers coming back and having guys that are still healthy and Bobby Miller and Landon Neck.

I thought if the Dodgers didn't sign Kyle Tucker, there was a great chance they were going to make a trade for a guy like Lars now Bar or Brendan Donovan to try to, you know, entice the Cardinals with more pitching.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't.

Maybe there's another trade.

Like we always talk about Andrew Friedman, Sin's taking over the Dodgers, it's kind of a cloud situation.

One move is connected to another.

Feels like there's still more to come from the Dodgers than just signing Kyle Tucker eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.

Let's go out to Hacienda Heights.

Robert, You're on Dodger Talk on the night that Kyle Tucker chooses the Dodgers.

Hi, Dave, thanks for kiping my call.

Appreciate it, longtime.

Sam.

I just wanted to know, with the signing of Tucker coming in, what does that mean for Ryan Ward, the guy from Tripoli that they called up and put on the fifty man roster.

Are they not gonna caepe a hold of him?

Are they gonna send him back down?

And you know, does that mean any other changes besides possibly tay Oscar moving or even Pies.

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

I really don't, but I wouldn't rule out another move from Andrew Freeman as far as the trade goes, and as far as Ryan Ward goes.

He's twenty eight years old, he's coming off his best professional season.

It doesn't look like he's going to get an everyday opportunity with the Dodgers.

There's a lot of teams out there that would have jumped on Ryan Ward if he was non tendered.

So I could see the Dodgers going into spring training with Ryan Ward I could see the Dodgers trading Ryan Ward before spring training.

I could also see Ryan Ward being a depth piece for the Dodgers during the season, because, as we have seen, injuries do happen, and you have a guy like Ryan Ward that you can call up off your forty man roster.

That's not too bad.

Not bad at all.

Thank you so much for taking my call, sir.

Have a great night.

Hey, thanks for listening.

Robert Los Angeles should be excited.

The Dodgers are the premier team in North American sports, certainly the premier team in this city that is full of stars, and the Dodgers added another star tonight in Kyle Tucker.

In case you're joining us late, the Dodgers have come to an agreement with Kyle Tucker for a four year contract that is an annual average salary of sixty million dollars.

He has an opt out after year two and year three.

But Kyle Tucker tonight has chosen the Dodgers.

And oh, by the way, Kyle Tucker's agent, Casey Close, who all also represented Clayton Kershaw eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number let's go out to Santa Monica.

Evan, You're on Dodger Talk with David Vasse.

How you doing, Evan.

I'm so happy, Dave.

As soon as I heard the news, I just couldn't believe it.

And then what was even crazier was that Dodger Talk was on.

Just given all of the love to all of Los Angeles for this historic day.

It's one of the greatest signings I think I've ever seen the Dodgers have during the offseason because it just makes this team unstoppable.

One through nine.

We can't be Who are you going to pitch around?

And Dave, I want to know where do you think Kyle's going to bat in the order?

That's a great question, you know.

I believe that Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez have something to prove, and nobody is guaranteed a spot in the lineup as far as I'm concern outside of sho Heyo Tani and even to a certain extent, Otani equis to try to get Mooki going last year, move down to leadoff spot to hit behind him.

Freddie moved between second, third and fourth.

So if Mooki Betts is a two sixty hitter to begin this year.

I feel like you're gonna have Will Smith hitting second, and you're gonna have Kyle Tucker hitting you know, between third and and fifth.

I really do.

I think that's where this is going to land.

It's unbelievable.

Just the rich get richer and the three peats on its way.

Daves, let's go.

Let's go.

What a night?

What a night?

In January eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.

I know we're all very excited about Kyle Tucker's sunning with the Dodgers, but man, this took a long time.

Come on, Tucker, you should have made this choice a lot sooner than what you did.

Uh felt like we were we were on Otani Watch, and Kyle Tucker's a really good player.

But he's not Otani.

He's not one soo.

But in this Dodger lineup, he may have the best years of his career.

Let's go out to Uh, Jamie in Rosemead, You're on Dodger Talk with David Vasse.

How you doing, Jamie?

Good?

David, how are you fantastic?

Great timing for the show.

Hey, I'm just I'm just worried about Kik.

I mean it's I mean just his energy and and and just what he brings to the Dodgers, and and I mean that heartbeat, you know.

I mean, how's he gonna fit.

In key A?

Hernandez can't play until the second half of the year, Jamie, he had elbow surgery.

So, uh, he's he's a factor in the second half of the season.

He understands that.

I don't believe the sonning of Tucker changes any of that.

I mean, Okay, well, good to know, good to know, man, because he's, uh, he's just he's a ball of energy.

So it'd be great to have him, you know, just uh everywhere you know, third chart, he plays all over the place.

Man, He's just a he's a he's a he's a he's a unique piece of that that uh Dodger Dodger team.

No doubt, Jamie.

He's been a big part of the back to back World Series championships.

And more importantly than being a ball of energy, the guy's really good.

In October eight six, six, nine, eight seven, two five seventy is the phone number we got to take a time out here on Dodger Talk.

We are going to hear from a current Dodger player.

Coming up next, Dodger catcher Dalton Rushing is going to give us his live reaction to Kyle Tucker signing with the Dodgers.

This is Dodger Talk.

This is where you get breaking Dodgers news and the insights behind the deals.

Kyle Tucker is a Dodger on a F five to seventy LA sports four year contract.

As we reported earlier in the show, he has an opt out after years two and years three.

I feel like he might be taking our next guest out to many dinners, and if he doesn't, he's gonna have to answer to me.

We are joined right now by one of my favorite people, a man that made himself known to Major League Baseball making his major league debut so many first last year for Dalton Rushing can't wait for his sophomore season with the Dodgers and he will have a new teammate and Kyle Tucker.

Dalton Rushing, welcome the Dodger Talk.

How you doing.

I'm doing good.

Good to hear from you that.

Hey, this is great timing.

We set this up a while ago and it's the night that Kyle Tucker signs with the Dodgers.

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

Man, how much I don't know.

How much do you guys talk about these things amongst each other, about whether or not a guy like Tucker may sign with you or is it just something that you sit back and watch and wait and see.

Yeah, I think it's I think it's kind of cool to just watch it unfold.

Obviously, free agency for any players an exciting time, also hectic, but yeah, I mean, it pops up tonight and you see it and you want to be surprised.

But at the same time, it's every team tries to win a World Series every year, and Dodgers are willing to do whatever.

What was it like for you last year being part of this team that obviously has a World Series on their minds when they report to spring training.

For you to get the call in the middle of the season and to have big hits for this team and to be there, you know, for and be a big part of it.

What was it like your first full season?

It was good.

Overall.

The main goal with any team you ever played for it that level is going to win a World Series and so on that side, very successful.

It was an unbelievable group.

I think, I would say, obviously from looking in beforehand, you get to play with some of the best players in baseball still, and I think that itself is a huge privilege for young guys, especially your rookie year, to see the things that I saw, learn the things that I did with Like I said, the guys surrounding me.

Dalton Rushing is joining us tonight on Dodger Talk and Dalton just thinking back to your season, People ask me all the time about my favorite moment of the year of the World Series.

But if somebody were to ask me about my favorite Dalton Rushing moment of the season last year, was your game in San Diego where you had a huge home run against the Padres on that day game to kind of remind the Padres that you guys are still here and at that time the race was really close.

When you think back to your season last year, is that one of the games one of the moments that sticks out to you?

Yeah, I would say that was for sure.

I wouldn't say the highlight.

Obviously, you win the World Series, that's your highlight.

But for me, it was kind of a moment of things weren't going my way for a little bit, and so you kind of you fill your team around you, support you, and you do something like that.

But like you said, it was a big game for that time of the year.

But I just I was glad that I was able to help the team win on that Sunday Day game and allow us to do the things that we did later in the year.

Regardless, when did you start to settle into the season once you got called up.

Yeah, I feel like the guys did a really good job of making you feel pretty at home early on.

It doesn't really feel as I guess uptight as people would think the outside as far as being a rookie on a team like that, I think it's the Dodgers just do a good job of surrounding you with good people, good resources, and comes with that as some of the best players in the world.

So yeah, it's it wasn't too bad to kind of like feel like I was a part of the guys very soon if you guys took me under their wing and just kind of allowed me to learn as much as I could for being in the position and playing the role that I played.

Dalton Rushing is our guest on Dodger talk.

It's the night that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a four year contract, and you know, going back all the way back to November, Brandon Gomes was talking about how the Dodgers wanted to get you more at bats this upcoming season.

He even mentioned the possibility of you getting some reps in the outfield.

I guess that's over with now, Dalton.

They signed Kyle Tucker.

Did you ever did you ever pick up your outfield glove again this offseason?

Yeah, I've just kind of tried to go at this offseason with the attack plan of basically being available for whatever options that I can play, and playing a little bit of left field that I played in twenty four gave me the idea that I think I could do it at a decent level at least being a catcher.

So I've kind of prepared my body for any outcome or whatever they may need out of me.

You seem pretty comfortable at first base last year.

How did that happen so seamlessly?

Yeah, it was so.

I played a lot of first base in college.

I actually played majority first base my first two years in college before the final season in twenty two, So I had a little experience there obviously, never at this level.

I played a handful of games throughout the miners there, so it was a completely foreign but they for sure kind of pushed me on that side of the ball, just trying to stay as clean as possible.

Do you feel pretty comfortable at first space.

Yeah, of course.

I mean it's like I said, I've played at plenty, so I have the I guess you could say I have the trust in myself over there to go over there whenever they ask and play a pretty good first base.

But with that being said, I think first base is really just a repetition thing, so that's something that I kind of have to be ahead of myself as far as like keeping myself busy even when I'm not over there.

This spring training is going to be a great opportunity with the World Baseball Classic and Will Smith playing for Team USA, that means there's a lot of opportunities for Dalton Rushing to not have Will Smith, you know, taking up the normal Will Smith playing time.

Has that entered your mind that this spring training you're really gonna have an opportunity to get into the rhythm of the season.

Yeah, I honestly just I'm showing up to spring training expecting both of us to get what we need to be ready, obviously him being pushed at a little quicker pace, but at the same time, whenever they ask, that's what I want to do.

And like I said earlier, that's kind of the attack that I've taken into the off season, just being able to prepare for any outcome.

And with that being said, whether they want me to catch a ton in spring training, whatever it may be, I want to make sure that I'm ready for it.

Hey.

The one thing that I'll always remember about Dalton Rushing three years ago, if that was maybe two or three years ago, your first big league camp, I was I was so impressed about your understanding and emphasis on the picture catcher relationship.

You don't hear too many young catchers talk about it the way you did.

You had such a great understanding about how every picture is different.

You got to speak to them differently to really connect with them.

When did you really understand the value of the picture catcher relationship.

I feel like it's kind of It's been important in the game obviously forever.

But I guess you would say pro ball.

I kind of get into pro ball obviously you see your college players like a good pro ball You see these guys every single day, day in day out.

You know their routines, you know their tendencies, things like that, and so the better being their catcher, you understand those guys, It just makes it easier for you two to click and build the trust within each other.

I think trust is the biggest word there.

And the more you trust each other, the better the execution is better.

The execution is more success you have.

What was it like having your lockers so close to Blake Snell and Clayton Kershaw?

Two really good pictures but two really different guys.

Yeah, you liked that corner, didn't You've asked?

I loved it you Snell and uh and Kershaw and Snell's one hundred pair of sneakers and honey Boom boots.

That was a great corner.

Yeah, it was.

It was a good corner.

But like I said earlier that those two being some of the guys that kind of helped me settle in I think played a big role just being able to see the two different personalities in the two and obviously the success that they both had at this level.

So yeah, it was a huge opportunity, and who knows, maybe you'll get that same corner next year.

Hey, wherever you are is the corner I'm going to be in rushing you don't forget that.

Hear you that I hear.

About Velcrow dogs.

I'm like a Velcro reporter.

Have you have you had any withdrawals not being around me every day?

I mean, has it been weird not seen me every days?

It's weird not pouring beer on your face anymore.

We had about a month's stretch of being able to do that, and that was that brought joy to me.

I can't wait to do it again.

Yeah, you guys, I mean even before Kyle Tuck.

Kyle Tucker's along for the ride.

You guys are the core is back for the three p and Kyle Tucker is along for the ride.

Don't forget it, man, all right, if you need me in Arizona to help you get ready for spring training, let me know I'm always available.

We'll see if you got good BT the.

Okay sounds good?

Hey, thanks a lot for doing this and look forward to seeing you February thirteenth, when pitchers and catchers report, and make sure you put in a good word with Kyle Tucker with me all right for me?

Oh oh well, I'll make sure he knows who you are, all right, as I appreciate you.

I appreciate you.

Dalton Rushing, thanks a lot for the time.

There he goes Dalton Rushing, who is going to have an even bigger sophomore season.

Awesome to have him on a night like tonight where the Dodgers have signed Kyle Tucker.

He was playing it very cool, very laid back, you know, not trying to get too excited.

I would imagine to a certain extent, he's wondering, Hey, what does this mean for me?

It means you're not gonna play the outfield that much?

Right now?

Rushing eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number we have opened the lines back up.

I could not bleave my guy, Dalton Rushing.

I wanted to get the feeling from a young guy like that.

The Dodgers adding another player the caliber of Kyle Tucker, who is signed for four years on an annual average salary of sixty million dollars.

There are opt outs after year two and year three for Kyle Tucker, who was turning twenty nine years old, in just a couple of days.

Eight six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy is the phone number.

Hey, Like I said, you know, during this whole process, we had heard a couple of there were a lot of different things being said about Kyle Tucker, and you had to wonder and give some pause to why the Astros traded him.

Why didn't the Astros, a team that isn't afraid to, you know, spend some money on players, on young players.

I mean when they traded Tucker, he was barely twenty seven to twenty eight to the Cubs.

And then you wonder why the Cubs spend the money they spent on Alex Bregman and you never heard them in the mix for Kyle Tucker.

So those are the type of questions I'm interested in asking and hearing the answer from Kyle Tucker.

Are are the perceptions real about you?

Are you really talented?

And does the game come so easy to you?

And do you feel like you were misrepresented during this offseason about your love for the game of baseball.

I'm interested to hear that and why teams like the Astros and the Cubs did not sign you back and for the Dodgers and the Mets, I mean, nobody else really blew them away with a seven eight year contract that was close to this annual average salary for the Dodgers.

It makes sense, and for Tucker it makes sense.

Tucker has opt outs after years two and three.

If he does have two great years with the Dodgers, he more than likely will opt out, no doubt.

But if he has, you know, the season that he had with the Cubs last year, if he gets hurt, he's gonna stay in until possibly opting out in year three.

And if it goes as far as four years, that still isn't an eternity.

The Dodgers can overcome that.

The Brewers, the Reds, the Pirates, the Angels, they could not overcome that.

We saw that with the Angels.

They have not overcome the signing of Anthony Rendon, so a short term deal.

Yes, the average annual salary is extremely high sixty million dollars, but let's not forget the Dodgers are only paying show Hey Otani two million dollars next year.

He has deferred so much money and the Dodgers have made so much money since O'tani signed on and winning back to back championships and becoming literally a global brand that they can afford to make this type of contract.

You're talking about a sixty million dollar contract for Kyle Tucker with the penalties that the Dodgers are facing being a third straight year offender of being in the highest tax bracket in payroll.

They are paying one hundred and ten percent on every dollar of that sixty million and it doesn't matter to them because of the way structured his contract.

Keep that in mind as well.

Let's go out to Kellen in LA.

You're on Dodger Talk with David Vasse.

How you doing Kellen?

Pretty good, Dave, thanks for taking my call.

Quick question about the signing.

What kind of the impact will this have on t O and the rest of the outfield?

And god forbid we go into a lockout?

How does that lockout affect his terms on his contract.

As far as Tucker goes?

Yeah, as far as Tucker, yeah, before you well.

For Tucker and for yeah, that you know that is interesting.

I have to I have to look into that.

As far as getting paid.

He wouldn't get paid during the lockout like anybody else, but would that count as a year two?

You know, they're not going to miss the entire season next year, Kellen.

Even if there is a disagreement and a lockout that maybe misses a week or two of next year, They're still going to play like they did back in what twenty two, one hundred and sixty two games because they have brand new broadcast partners.

So let's just say for the sake of conversation, they only play one hundred and forty games in twenty twenty seven, that would still be year two for Kyle Tucker.

Gotcha?

Okay, that makes sense.

Yeah, And you know, I'm I might be the eternal optimist, even though I've been through this before and we've heard a lot of the give and take.

I could see spring training being delayed in twenty twenty seven, but I find it hard to believe that both these sides would completely mismanage the popularity of the sport and miss too much of next season, right, right.

And then what do you think how this.

Affectio?

Would he move to left or would they reopen conversations as far as his availability?

Yeah, I would say, hey, that's not off the table, Kellen.

But right now, the Oscar Hernandez is your left fielder, and you talk about players like keyk Hernandez.

Let's not forget how big Tioscar Hernandez has been in October for the Dodgers.

Huge Kyle Tucker.

Huge Kyle Tucker has not been the player ta Oscar Hernandez has been in the playoffs.

You need to keep Taoscar Hernandez.

I am not in favor of trading Taoscar Hernandez and the Dodgers are in no financial h constraint to be forced to trade ta Oscar Hernandez because of everything I laid out regarding this all goes back to the Otani signing.

You may not like it, but he did defer sixty eight million dollars every year of his contract, so he's only counting two million against you.

I love Yeah, we love la, we love it.

Kellen eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number.

I mean, like I've said before, Number one, Dodger games are no longer games, they're events.

Number Two, the Dodgers ownership and Andrew Friedman has not just been a step ahead the rest of the league since they took over.

They're three or four or five steps ahead of the league.

And Otani is right on par with them.

With the way he had the vision to defer the majority of his contract to allow a team that he was going to sign with, like the Dodgers, to not just pocket that money, but to use it to be able to put out a competitive team.

And Stan Casten has said this.

After the Dodgers won the first championship in twenty four with Otani, he said, nine more I was told by members of the staff, the coaching staff, that Otani was telling people that again after they won in Toronto.

Eight more So, this is the vision the Dodgers and Otani had when he signed this contract.

This goes back to Otani and the way he and the Dodgers structured his contract.

If he's making seventy million dollars every year, and I know the Dodgers have to put a certain amount in an escrow account, which they are certainly more than capable of getting at least ten percent interest on.

As guys that have made their living on Wall Street and investing, trust me, this Tucker signing for sixty million dollars a year.

It may be mind blowing to all of us, but with the dway the Dodgers signed Otani and the way he structured his contract and the way the Dodgers have had immeasurable success.

Well, I'm sure it can be measured in theices, but for us immeasurable economic success, this is very much within their means and it's not in the means of anybody else.

And the Dodgers don't have to make any apologies for this.

The Braves could have done this, the Yankees could have done this.

A number of teams.

The Mets were willing to do this.

So the Dodgers are just a point of destination for a lot of players, similar to when Shaq and Kobe and Kobe and Gasol and Magic and Worthy were a point of destination for the Lakers.

Let's take another phone call Beaumont, Devin, You're on Dodger Talk.

How you doing, Devin?

Hey, Dave doing Gray?

I love you.

I'm such a huge fan.

Oh thank you.

It's a great night to be doing the show.

Definitely, I agree.

So I definitely know it is a great signing, very positive thing.

But I don't know how much I like it.

I think I wanted someone like Bellinger or but shit.

Yeah, you know, I wouldn't say any one of these three.

I would say Tucker is a better all around fundamental hitter than Cody Bellinger.

But Cody Bellinger is a playoff performer and more versatile than Kyle Tucker.

So I would say that there's marginal differences between all the three names that you mentioned, and that's why I thought it was a little ridiculous.

Kyle Tucker dragged this on as much as he did, but it's a it's a it's a sign that he was not getting the market he thought he would early in free agency.

But to say that you wouldn't you don't like this, or you don't want Kyle Tucker, that that's a little bit of a statement I can't agree with.

Devin.

No, I definitely think that I like that we signed Kyle Tucker.

I think it's a good investment and hopefully it pays off, even though he didn't do that great in the last playoffs.

But overall, I agree with you that Bellinger and Kyle Tucker matchup very well.

Okay, let me ask you a question, Devin, what would you rather have, because you know you just can't get these players in a vacuum?

Would you rather have Bobashett for eight years, reportedly two eighty three hundred million dollars Cody Bellinger reportedly five or six years for two hundred million dollars, or just play it safe with a really good hitter in Kyle Tucker and have them basically for two to four years and pay sixty million dollars.

That is very much within the Dodgers financial means.

And it's sixty million dollars a year or for that four years?

No a year?

Oh yeah, So I guess I don't know.

I guess that's not that bad.

Let's see hopefully it's a Hopefully it pays off.

And we three p Okay, Devin, I'm glad you agree sixty million dollars a year is not that bad.

I feel like Kyle Tucker will be able to survive the next four years on sixty million dollars.

I agree, that's definitely gonna be a lie and it's good.

I don't know.

I don't know how much you're making it Boumont, Devin, but man, sixty million dollars is a lot to me.

I'll tell you that right now.

I'm definitely not making sixty million, but I wish maybe one day.

All right, Devin, thank you for the phone on.

Thank you to everybody that called in on this very special Dodger Talk, which certainly broke down the news that Kyle Tucker has signed a four year contract with the Dodgers.

Stay tuned to Dodgers Radio and five to seventy LA Sports.

We will have more on this story all day long the rest of the night.

Ignore Ben Maller and his jealousy if you're staying up until eleven, and we'll talk to you tomorrow morning and throughout the day to get more details on how this all came together and what's next for the Dodgers after they have signed Kyle Tucker.

Thanks to Dalton Rushing as well for joining us.

You can find the show on the iHeart Radio app.

Thank you, Ronnie Foscio Sea