The ‘refreshing’ message Kyle Tucker, Edwin Díaz shared with Dodgers

PHOENIX –– In his annual start-of-the-spring address to his Dodger team on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts delivered a simple message to the two-time defending World Series champions.

“I think for us it’s more about looking forward, focusing on ourselves and … not concerning us with outside expectations, noise, other teams,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done a pretty good job of in years past.”

Then, Roberts invited the club’s two superstar offseason additions to speak to the room and drive home that message.

As has become a common theme in these team-wide spring meetings –– which take place on the morning of the club’s first full-squad workouts, which the Dodgers had on Tuesday –– the longtime skipper wanted his returning players to hear from the new faces in the clubhouse.

“It was just more about what made the Dodgers attractive to them,” Roberts explained. “I think it’s powerful for our guys to hear it from the other side, from somebody who hasn’t been here.”

This year, that meant speeches from Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz, each of whom explained why they wanted to sign with the Dodgers as free agents this winter.

Roberts said Tucker talked about watching “how the Dodgers go about things” while playing against them as a member of the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros over the last eight years, calling the franchise “a destination place.”

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Díaz echoed that sentiment when he got up to talk, joking that the Dodgers always “look pretty nice on the field” and how he “heard they treat every player the same inside the clubhouse.”

“That,” the new closer added while speaking to reporters later, “was one of the things I was looking for.”

The Dodgers hope that a scene like Tuesday’s will serve as a tone-setter ahead of their three-peat pursuit this year. Simply signing big names like Tucker (the $240 million outfielder) and Diaz (the $69 million right-hander) served as a source of reinvigoration for the club this offseason. But hearing their perspectives of the team for the first time was “refreshing,” veteran third baseman and longest tenured Dodger Max Muncy said.

“Not that anyone in this room ever forgets, but (when) they talk about how good the organization is from the outside, from what they see and what they hear, just things about how the front office and the staff treats the players and the families –– (it’s a reminder that) we have it really good here,” Muncy said.

There’s another important dynamic, too.

“Then you get that little extra hunger from guys who want to go out there and win a ring,” Muncy added. “It keeps everyone else in here hungry, because you just start feeding off each other. And when it’s time to go out there and it’s go time, everyone’s ready to go.”

For these Dodgers, it won’t be “go time” for a little while still.

Unlike the past two years, the team has no early start or season-opening international trip. And while they will send five players to next month’s World Baseball Classic (including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith, Hyeseong Kim and Díaz), they will use this spring to slowly build up many of their other veterans after a short offseason (namely, Muncy, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, whom Roberts said will likely not be playing in Cactus League games right away).

“It’s just about preparation,” said Betts, recounting the message he shared as one of several longtime Dodgers to talk at Tuesday’s meeting, along with Miguel Rojas and Will Smith. “Our confidence is gonna come with our preparation.”

Tuesday, however, was about setting bigger-picture expectations, too, and reminding both the club’s returning core and new star players about the opportunity in front of them.

“It’s just trying to sustain that energy, that focus every day,” Roberts said, reiterating his clubhouse message. “Put those blinders on and get to work.”

As has become a common theme in these team-wide spring meetings –– which take place on the morning of the club’s first full-squad workouts, which the Dodgers had on Tuesday –– the longtime skipper wanted his returning players to hear from the new faces in the clubhouse.

“It was just more about what made the Dodgers attractive to them,” Roberts explained. “I think it’s powerful for our guys to hear it from the other side, from somebody who hasn’t been here.”