The Los Angeles Dodgers are lurking.
It's how they landed Freddie Freeman a few years ago. He wasn't quite getting the long-term contract he wanted in free agency, and the Dodgers got him on a shorter deal with an increased per-year salary relative to his other offers.
Now? They might just be trying to do the same thing with Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette.
That's what ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Tuesday:
"Agents believe the Los Angeles Dodgers are hovering in the market, waiting for either Tucker or Bichette to fall to them on a shorter-term deal with a high average annual value closer to their price range, which is what happened with Freddie Freeman."
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The longer those guys (along with Alex Bregman and Cody Bellinger) remain free agents, the more chance the Dodgers have of pulling this off.
"Based on conversations with industry sources, this is a standoff that exists for Tucker, Bregman, Bichette and Bellinger," Olney said.
Teams know what they want to pay. Players know what they want to get. And with some time still before the season, there isn't a rush to get stuff done.
The Dodgers may not want to give Tucker a 10-year deal or Bichette a six-year deal.
But if they could get one for three years at slightly above market value? That could work out nicely for the Dodgers, who have a veteran core and have won the World Series in each of the past two seasons.
If they can get even better, for the right price and contract length, they'll do it.
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