Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman and The California Post’s Jack Harris evaluate which free agents the Los Angeles Dodgers should pursue. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
We are currently stuck in a staring contest between multiple parties and multiple, You know, priorities, I would say, involving four free agents at the top of the class.
But I do believe the Dodgers are part of this conversation.
Who do you sense that the Dodgers are seriously considering?
Really, when I look at this in a big-picture standpoint, it’s like a big game of musical Chairs, and the music’s still going kind of slowly right now.
And everybody’s kind of walking around and trying to figure out, Okay, like, what’s going to be the game plan here?
Which, for a team like the Dodgers, is good.
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Right?
Like, this is what they want, because their approach this offseason has been, We’re going to let the market develop.
We have a really good team to begin with, So we’re not going to go out and add another super long-term contract to an already aging Core.
We’ll see if someone’s market kind of falls.
Into a place where we can get them on a shorter term deal.
And pay them a lot of money, you know, for the short time we have them.
So, I think that applies to someone like Kyle Tucker, whom they were never really interested In doing like an 8- to 10-year deal or $400 million for, But if he’s open to coming on a shorter-term deal with opt-outs and, And help fill a pretty big need, one of their few big needs in the outfield.
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They’d be happy to do that, I’d imagine.
Cody Bellinger, Another guy who, obviously, they’re quite familiar with, Who they’ve been impressed, I think, with just the changes he’s made as a player and the offensive profile he’s had.
And then Bo Bichette, Because of the versatility that this team has, Being able to move somebody like Tommy Edman around.
You know, if they could get Bo Bichette, and I think that’s somebody because he’s younger, There might be some more options of how they could approach that kind of situation.
But he’s someone that I think, even going back to the Winter Meetings for me, It was another one of those situations where, okay, like you said, There’s only so many teams for all these guys to kind of find a spot.
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And if not enough of them are willing to go long-term, You’re probably going to end up with a guy or two who doesn’t have a chair to sit in.
[Music stops] And that’s where a team like the Dodgers could kind of factor in.
It’s similar to how they got Edwin Diaz, And it makes this whole game kind of interesting, because I think all the teams are Also kind of looking at each other right now, too, saying, Okay, who’s really going to be aggressive?
Who’s going to try to go out and make the kind of offer to get one of these guys without having to play this game?”
Um, And for right now, we’re kind of stuck in this situation where, until somebody wants to be Aggressive and make a move that shakes up this market a little bit.
Yeah, they’re all just kind of circling and waiting to see what’s going to happen.