00:00How are we supposed to evaluate this contract?
00:02Because obviously we all think that Kyle Tucker is one of the better players in Major League Baseball.
00:07But $60 million a year, Buster? $60 million?
00:12Of course, a market, you know, a player is as valuable as what the market will give him.
00:18But at this point, Buster, I can't even understand $60 million a year. I just can't.
00:23No. And it's interesting because there clearly were differing opinions on this.
00:29I mean, shoot, the Chicago Cubs didn't even, who had him for a year, saw him in the first half.
00:34Dansby Swanson said he was like the anchor of that lineup early in the year.
00:38And then he fell apart. The Cubs didn't even play.
00:41And so the idea that Tucker, you know, after having a couple back-to-back seasons where he got hurt,
00:47it's a surprise to me, but it's the Dodgers. And they don't care. They don't give a flip.
00:52And they fully embrace this idea of being a villain.
00:54And, you know, I've always talked about how with the 30 different teams, it's not like a one business that's run together.
01:02It's a confederacy. And each of these teams are going to do its best.
01:06And the Dodgers are going to afford it. And they're just like, screw it.
01:08Yeah, we can pay $57.1 million in our lineup in a way that no other teams could even think about that.
01:17It's amazing to think about.
01:19And I'm curious what you gathered over the course of the last couple of days, you know,
01:23after it was signed, sealed and delivered, or at least reported that Kyle Tucker was going to the Dodgers.
01:28How did his market materialize?
01:30Because it seems like there were other teams that were in the sweepstakes and willing to go seven or eight years for Kyle Tucker.
01:36Why did he and his representation decide that it was the four for 240 that was best?
01:41So forgive me ahead of time.
01:42It's going to be a bit of a long-winded answer because this is, you know,
01:45a quilt that got pulled together over a couple weeks.
01:50And moves impacting other moves, other dominoes.
01:54Dominoes, first off, you start, you come into the new year, and I think in Kyle Tucker's camp,
02:00there was a thought that, yeah, he's probably going to wind up with the Blue Jays.
02:04You know, to that point, he had, you know, gotten interest on a long-term deal,
02:08the classic long-term deal like we've seen in recent years for guys like Juan Soto, you know,
02:13who, you know, get the most money, Vladimir Rivera Jr., get the most money for the most number of years.
02:18And then about a week into January, the Mets get involved.
02:24And they're talking about a lot of money on a short-term deal, right?
02:28And they are hyper-aggressive.
02:30And they're talking about $50 million a year, Juan Soto territory, $55 million a year.
02:36The idea that the Mets might give Kyle Tucker more money on an average annual value than they gave Juan Soto is just incredible.
02:46So Kyle Tucker, you know, I think was sort of getting used to the idea he was going to wind up playing in Toronto.
02:51He's interested, right?
02:52And they play that out.
02:54And this is the next factor I don't think people have talked about enough.
02:57I don't think the Mets were aware that the Dodgers were involved.
03:01Because I don't think Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, sends out that tweet saying,
03:05we're waiting for the smoke to appear.
03:08They thought they were getting Kyle Tucker, okay?
03:10He's not sending that out unless they believe they're going to get Kyle Tucker.
03:14And then, boom, if you're Kyle Tucker and the Dodgers roll in with that offer, and I'm guessing that Andrew Freeman, who's really great at this job, swooped in and said, we'll give you this offer.
03:27We're going to give it to you, either accept it or reject it.
03:29And then we're going to move on, put a time limit on it, that sort of thing.
03:34They get the player for this, what was initially announced as 240 for four.
03:39And people are losing their minds.
03:40And if you're Kyle Tucker, you think about when the offseason began, he probably didn't want to go someplace where he had to be the guy, the way Aaron judges in New York, because that's not his personality.
03:50He probably would prefer that other people, other stars on a team that he landed with, you know, get that responsibility.
03:57He's looking for the, you know, a high salary, good, you know, given the fact that the Blue Jays are over $350 million over 10 years.
04:05And here come the Dodgers offering the 57.1 over four years.
04:10And the Dodgers are the defending champions.
04:12It's a perfect place for him.
04:14I was thinking about this.
04:15So if you're a reporter and you're walking into the Dodger clubhouse, he's like the ninth guy you want to talk to.
04:22You know, your hope is to talk to Otani, to Betts, to Freeman.
Be the first to comment