00:00I think it's pretty easy to just go with the L.A. Dodgers.
00:04Now, this isn't in order, so we aren't saying that the Dodgers have had the best offseason of any team so far.
00:12We're really just going through the five best.
00:15But when you sign the best available free agent to a four-year deal,
00:21when we know that the Dodgers signing these big AAV deals is actually better for them than these long-term,
00:27and to get them on only a four-year deal where you're getting them in his prime from ages 28 to 31, like those key years.
00:36And then on top of it, they're able to bring in the best reliever on the market in Edwin Diaz,
00:41who is arguably the best closer in Major League Baseball.
00:46And then on top of it, they add a good bench bat in Andy Abanez.
00:50It's funny, when you're going over the Dodgers offseason, Kyle Tucker, Edwin Diaz, and Andy Abanez.
00:55It's damn right Andy Abanez. He's going to help on the bench.
00:58But when you bring in Tucker, you bring in Diaz, you're going to be on this list.
01:03Yeah, and I'm just realizing now, they also brought back Miggy Rose.
01:07So they brought back a little postseason hero.
01:08I think if going into the offseason, if we had to say, all right, what are the Dodgers' needs if they have any needs?
01:14Because really, they could have done nothing and still won the World Series this upcoming season.
01:18But we would have said, okay, the back end of their bullpen maybe needs some help.
01:21Maybe they should get an outfielder, and they just said, you know what, we'll take the best outfielder on the board.
01:26We'll take the best reliever on the board, and we'll just make our team that much better.
01:30To me, it is a quiet offseason compared to some things they've done in the past as far as the volume of moves.
01:37When you don't need a lot, they just shot for the stars in the few moves that they made,
01:41and they got a couple of the best players available.
01:43So yes, the Dodgers are just that much better.
01:46And I don't think they're just on this list because they signed a couple of big free agents.
01:50I thought they also addressed needs.
01:52Yeah, 100%.
01:53Believe it or not, the Dodgers had needs.
01:56I thought they needed to address their outfield.
01:58And who did they get?
01:59Kyle Tucker.
02:00What was the Dodgers' biggest problem in the playoffs and even in the regular season?
02:05Was their bullpen.
02:06Now they don't have to rely on Tanner Scott as their closer.
02:09You bring in Edwin Diaz.
02:11I guess you're demoting Tanner Scott to the eighth inning role.
02:15We can't forget he's been one of the best relievers in baseball up until last year.
02:19But now you have a sense of comfortability in that bullpen where you're not relying on Tanner Scott to get the three hardest outs in baseball.
02:25You can go Edwin Diaz.
02:27And even that combo, the short arm slot from Tanner Scott to a similar arm slot for Edwin Diaz,
02:34that's just going to be so tough for batters to pick up.
02:36They address needs, and they spent money, but not even a huge amount of money this offseason.
02:43And, of course, everybody's talking about how they're ruining baseball.
02:45Of course they are.
02:46Yeah, I mean, look, at the end of the day, the Dodgers, they are operating within the rules.
02:54And they just operate within those rules better than anybody else.
02:58And like you just mentioned on the screen here, you're looking at the tax payroll.
03:01Last year was actually a little bit more than their tax payroll this year, 417 to 413, which means, Peter, I mean, do we jump into Dodgers GM?
03:09And we've got $4 million to spend.
03:11Why not?
03:11I mean, they don't need anything else, but it's just crazy that this team is less expensive after giving Kyle Tucker $60 million a year or $57 million when it comes to present-day value.
03:25It's crazy.
03:25And we've got about a minute and 40 seconds left.
03:30I think an absolute disaster for the rest of baseball.
03:33For the Dodgers, this would be otherworldly phenomenal if they were actually able to make the move to trade for Tarek Skubal.
03:41Because, of course, it's kind of a pipe dream right now, but we've had Buster Olney on our show, and he has kind of indicated that the Tigers might be willing to move him if they are overblown with the deal, and the Dodgers are in that unique position where they can completely overpay for a pitcher like Tarek Skubal.
03:59But GM Andrew Friedman did come out and say, we don't think that we're going to be adding big-time starting pitchers right now.
04:07And you look at the rotation, they don't need to.
04:09We have about a minute left.
04:11I'm curious if you think the Dodgers need to do anything else, which I know is not the best question in the world, but that won't stop them from doing other moves.
04:21They don't need to do anything else, and obviously the Skubal thing is, well, we'll just see how that all resolves itself.
04:26My only question is, what happens to Kike?
04:29He's still out there.
04:31Are they going to wait and let him go somewhere else, and then they pick up?
04:34I mean, I still have Kike penciled in to, what, the sixth spot in the lineup for the World Series?
04:39Like, you still think Kike's going to be there, right?
04:41Some way, somehow?
04:43Yeah, Kike Hernandez, I did tweet out earlier when they made the move for Kyle Tucker.
04:47I said, no matter what happens, Kike Hernandez is going to be in that playoff lineup because there's just no way the Dodgers don't bring him back.
04:56And Dodger fans were already like, yep, of course, he's going to be one of the outfielders.
05:00So I guess we're moving somebody else away.
05:02We're moving somebody else away.
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